The Human Cost of Japan’s Tech Boom: AI, Robots, and NFTs

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Japan strives for a technologically advanced future, as suggested in the latestdocument referencing AI, robotics, and digital currencies.
• The government's proposals potentially lead to a more controlled digital environment.
• Japan's Financial Services Agency (FSA) will ban crypto exchanges from transferring assets to foreign platforms in the event of an economic crisis.

Japan's Digital Administrative and Financial Reform Council released a document governing, among everything else, AI, drones, cloud-based data sharing, robots, and NFTs.

The document's proposal to revitalize the local economy using digital currencies, NFTs, and DAOs seems forward-thinking and visionary.

But are these plans genuinely well-intended, or is Japan's government just sugarcoating an attempt to regulate all things tech?

Love, Death & Busy Robots

In September, Japanese regulators proposed to reduce tax on crypto gains from 55% to 20% (which is still higher than in most European countries).

The Strategic Business Innovator Group (SBI) also plans to integrate Ripple ($XRP) into Japan's traditional financial system, which signals growing acceptance of crypto by mainstream institutions.

Now, Japan is taking another step toward a technologically advanced, inclusive financial system. The document outlines the following plans:

• Using local digital currencies to stimulate economic growth
• Expanding sales channels for agricultural products through NFTs
• Replacing human jobs with robots and automation to increase productivity

Beyond economic initiatives, the Council considers infrastructure changes, such as deploying autonomous buses and taxis, and healthcare, including implementing online medical check-ups at train stations.

A Critical Look at Japan's Digital Future

First, what are local digital currencies'? It may or may not be an alternative name for CBDCs, cryptocurrencies issued and controlled by the central bank. This means surveillance over decentralization.

It's worth noting that, unlike most governments worldwide, Japan isn't actively developing a CBDC. However, it's exploring ways to roll out a CBDC quickly if the government decides to issue one in the future. Has the future come?

Second, replacing humans with robots is a scenario right out of a horror movie. Sure, we have the three laws of robotics, but unemployment can be scarier than any fictional dystopia.

The Council also pushes the use of the My Number' ID system and the sharing of medical data through the cloud, which raises privacy concerns.

All in all, Japan's vision of a technologically advanced society may come at the cost of individual freedom and social equity.

FSA Cracks Down on Crypto

Last week, Japan's FSA drafted a law prohibiting local crypto exchanges from transferring assets to foreign platforms in the case of a financial crisis.

The holding order' mechanism is a response to high-profile failures like FTX and aims to protect Japanese investors from losing funds due to the insolvency of foreign exchanges.

The problem here is that stricter regulations don't make Japan more appealing to crypto firms and investors. If they feel overly restricted, they may seek opportunities in less regulated markets.

There's a visible discrepancy between the FSA's law draft and the Council's document. While one embraces innovation in a borderline Orwellian sci-fi fashion, another stifles it by imposing stricter controls.

The Price of Progress

Japan's digital transformation is a paradox - the government strives for a hi-tech utopia, but its obsession with surveillance makes it look more like a sequel to Neuromancer.

Can Japan find a balance between ethics, regulation, and innovation? That's a question that remains unanswered.

References

• Digital Administrative and Financial Reform Conference (8th) Agenda (Cabinet Secretariat)
• CBDC (Bank of Japan)
• Japan's Central Bank Digital Currency should go big, not go home (EastAsiaForum)
• Japan Tightens Crypto Laws on Domestic Assets To Prevent FTX Repeat (CoinMarketCap)

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