Japan to Designate AI Agriculture Special Zones in Hokkaido

Tokyo, Sept. 10 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government decided Thursday to designate 19 municipalities in the Tokachi region of the northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido, including the city of Obihiro, as national strategic special zones to promote AI-powered agriculture. The government will apply special deregulation measures to the areas, including simplifying procedures needed to operate robot tractors autonomously on public roads and spraying pesticides with drones. Under current laws, robot tractors capable of autonomous operation must be manned when traveling on public roads, such as from a warehouse to a field. When multiple tractors are used on vast farmland, each tractor must be manned, preventing farmers from fully realizing the benefits of the labor-saving technology. In the special zones, autonomous tractors will be allowed to travel on public roads without a driver onboard when moving in a convoy with a manned truck or other vehicles. Regulatory requirements will also be eased to develop the communications infrastructure necessary for unmanned operations. There are already examples of the national strategic special zone system being used in agriculture, including in the central Japan city of Niigata, where an exception was made to allow farmers to open restaurants on their farmland. This is the first time that such a designation has been granted for AI-powered agriculture. The government hopes it will encourage technology companies to enter the agricultural sector. At a press conference following the government decision, Obihiro Mayor Yosuke Ueno said, “We appreciate the recognition of the Tokachi region, with its large-scale farms, as being well-suited to serve as a demonstration site for AI-powered agriculture.” The mayor said a Cabinet Office survey and demonstration project will begin later this month and a symposium will be held in Obihiro in November. “By making use of the special zone, we can establish a new form of agriculture in a short period and spread it throughout Japan and the world,” Mitsugi Takenaka, mayor of Kamishihoro and chairman of an association of towns and villages in the Tokachi region, said. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]