Korean and Japanese Business Communities Issue Joint Statement: "We Must Cooperate in the AI Industry"

Amid intensifying technological hegemony competition between the United States and China, business leaders in Korea and Japan have agreed that the two countries should build an "economic community" to respond together.
The Korea-Japan Exchange Special Committee of the Korea International Trade Association (KITA) announced on the 14th that it had issued a "Joint Statement on Korea-Japan Industrial Cooperation in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (AI)" together with the Japan Association of Corporate Executives (Keizai Doyukai). The statement is the outcome of four sessions of the Korea–Japan Economic Roundtable held between May 2024 in Seoul and Osaka.
In the joint statement, the business communities of both countries presented three major visions: building an AI-based autonomous industrial infrastructure; addressing social challenges such as healthcare and caregiving; and spreading Korea-Japan joint achievements to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). They stressed that it is urgent for both governments to shift away from country-centric strategies and move toward a cooperative framework that integrates cutting-edge global technologies, accompanied by forward-looking policy changes.
In the area of AI infrastructure, they recommended that, in preparation for an explosion of data and potential power shortages, electricity should be managed efficiently by dispersing data centers at national and regional levels. The statement also warned that, amid the U.S.-China technological rivalry, relying solely on external sources for core infrastructure is risky.
They further called on the two governments to take the lead, through joint research, in areas that are difficult for the private sector to pursue alone, such as cooling technologies for data centers and next-generation networks. As for data needed for AI training, they proposed that the two countries mutually share and utilize refined datasets, taking into account the legal risks associated with open data.
In the field of healthcare and caregiving cooperation, they saw potential for collaboration in digital therapeutics, telemedicine, AI-based diagnosis, and new drug development by combining Korea’s capabilities in medical data collection with Japan’s strengths in medical systems.
In the startup and investment sector, they proposed expanding exit channels by revitalizing initial public offerings (IPOs) and broadening the secondary market, thereby promoting cross-investment by corporate venture capital (CVC). Through this, they aim to spread Korea-Japan joint achievements to global markets such as ASEAN.
Cho Hyun-joon, Chairperson of the Korea-Japan Exchange Special Committee, said, "Now is a critical moment for Korea and Japan to pool their respective strengths and open a new horizon of cooperation in the AI field," adding, "We hope this joint statement will serve as a starting point for a long-term partnership."
Meanwhile, KITA and Keizai Doyukai plan to continue institutionalizing the roundtable, regularly reviewing key issues and sequentially deriving cooperative outcomes.
eastcold@fnnews.com Kim Dong-chan Reporter