The Institute for International Strategy and Information Analysis, Inc. (headquartered in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; CEO & Representative: Takeo Harada; URL: https://iisia.jp/en) convened its first online seminar with the Institute of Scientific Information for Social Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Институт научной информации по общественным наукам Российской академии наук) on the theme of “Generative AI and Governance/Diplomacy” on Wednesday afternoon, 26 November 2025, for approximately ninety minutes.

Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, channels of exchange between Japan and Russia have become increasingly limited. Nevertheless, it is our firm conviction that scholarly dialogue must not be interrupted so long as it addresses global issues that transcend national borders. This inaugural online seminar was realized at the initiative of our Institute, based on precisely this stance. Against the backdrop of a highly constrained bilateral environment, it proved profoundly meaningful in enabling a frank and substantive exchange of views on challenges that humanity as a whole must confront.

#About the Institute of Scientific Information for Social Sciences (INION), Russian Academy of Sciences

Established in 1969 as the principal social-science library of the then–Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union, the Institute of Scientific Information for Social Sciences (INION) now serves as a core institution within the Russian Academy of Sciences for research in the social sciences and humanities. Among the roughly 500 research institutes that comprise the Academy, INION is widely recognized as one of its flagship organizations, promoting comprehensive, cross-disciplinary scholarship that not only spans these fields but also interfaces with the natural sciences.

#Why Japan–Russia Scholarly Dialogue on “Generative AI and　Governance/Diplomacy” Matters Now

As artificial intelligence (AI) has advanced at breathtaking speed since the early 2000s, its impact has clearly spilled across national borders to shape the global order as a whole. Yet, in contrast to China and other former Eastern Bloc countries, there is a striking lack of prior research in Japan on the development, diffusion, and practical use of AI in Russia (the former Soviet Union). One important reason is that AI technologies are often tightly interwoven with military applications, which naturally obscures their true state of progress and deployment.

At the same time, however, we find ourselves at a juncture where the emergence of artificial general intelligence (AGI) is openly discussed. Against this backdrop, it is of critical importance to examine how AI—and in particular, generative AI (GenAI)—is being used in Russia, and to trace the trajectories of debate surrounding it, as one of the most consequential global issues of our time. It is precisely from this vantage point that our Institute approached INION with a proposal to frame “Generative AI and Governance/Diplomacy” as part of a broader global agenda and to hold a dedicated online seminar. The inaugural meeting just realized thus represents the first concrete step in this Japan–Russia academic initiative.

#Highlights of the Online Seminar Discussions

The seminar was held as a closed-door session, in accordance with a prior agreement between the two institutes, with participation strictly limited to their respective affiliates. From our Institute, we provided an overview of the current state, key policy debates, and future prospects surrounding the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and generative AI within Japan’s central government ministries and agencies. The INION side, in turn, presented the latest developments in Russian government AI policy, with particular emphasis on the opportunities and challenges associated with implementing generative AI in public administration, diplomacy, and social science research.

The exchange unfolded in an amicable and collegial atmosphere. Discussion was not confined to AI in the narrow sense; rather, both sides engaged in wide-ranging questions and careful explanations on related contextual issues, enabling a nuanced and multilayered dialogue.

#Future Prospects for Academic Exchange between the Two Institutes

Both institutes expressed, toward the close of this first online seminar, that the discussions had been highly meaningful. On this basis, they reached a basic agreement to convene a second online seminar in March 2026, again in a closed-session format, with the specific agenda to be coordinated in the coming months. INION, noting in particular the value of the present exchange, further indicated its intention to invite additional researchers from other institutes within the Russian Academy of Sciences to participate in the next meeting.

International Institute of Strategy, Inc. Founder/CEO/Global AI Strategist

Takeo Harada