Japan weighing AI agents for understaffed local governments

Japan's internal affairs industry may introduce artificial intelligence agents at local governments facing labor shortages.

Japan’s internal affairs ministry has begun considering the introduction of artificial intelligence agents to autonomously perform tasks at local governments facing labor shortages.

On Thursday, the ministry held the first meeting of a related study group consisting of relevant experts and local government officials to discuss which tasks could be assigned to AI agents and how local government employees could manage them.

The group will compile an interim report by the end of fiscal 2026 and aim to release its final report around summer 2027.

According to the ministry, 74% of the country’s local governments were using AI in some form as of October 2025. While AI tools to classify data and make predictions and those to generate text and images based on prompts were commonly used, AI agents were rarely used, except in trials at some organizations.

In light of this situation, the study group will assume cases such as those involving AI agents handling necessary tasks after residents update their addresses and will consider how local government employees will approve and monitor these tasks to prevent unnecessary ones.

As AI agents are not expected to fully exert their abilities under strict control, the group will also discuss granting them a certain level of autonomy.

Additionally, the group will consider ways to expand the use of AI tools already introduced in local governments, including using different AI tools for a single task and identifying challenges.

AI (https://www.japantimes.co.jp/tag/ai) , jobs (https://www.japantimes.co.jp/tag/jobs) , Internal Affairs Ministry (https://www.japantimes.co.jp/tag/internal-affairs-ministry)

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