Japan's creators voice concerns over AI and work conditions
Updated: January 23, 2026 - 11:30 AM GMT
Work used to be steady for Yoshiro Sato, a freelance comic book colorist. As generative AI spread, offers slowed, and his income followed. "There are times now when I can't even pay for my utilities," he said, asking to use an alias to protect his family.
His story isn't rare. A nationwide survey by the Freelance League of Japan (Sept. 30-Oct. 31, 2025) gathered 24,991 responses from illustrators, manga artists, animators, musicians, writers, and more. Nearly 89% feel anxiety or fear that AI threatens their livelihoods. About 78% have seen or heard of AI-related problems like defamation or the unauthorized use of creative work. Roughly 70% of respondents work in drawing-related fields-where image-generation tools hit first.
Sato isn't anti-tech. "We're already in the AI era," he said. "I have to adapt and find ways to use it to my advantage."
Illustrator Amigo Koike described a negotiation with a major software firm after discovering stock images were used for AI training. The outcome: creators' explicit consent would be required before their work enters training data. For Koike, clear communication and consent-based systems reduce conflict and keep trust intact.
League leaders emphasized the core issue isn't AI itself-it's the conditions around it. Many freelancers lack safety nets and social protections, which weakens their position in contracts. Uneven leverage between freelancers and employers is still one of the most urgent problems, and the league called for stronger enforcement and creator guilds to balance the table.
Only about 10% of respondents reported an actual income drop so far. Yet a similar share is already considering leaving creative work. That's a warning sign: workforce shifts are starting even before a full market reset.
The league's proposals were concrete: mandatory labeling of AI-generated content, transparency in training data, revenue-sharing mechanisms, and safeguards against misuse. It also urged the government to create a unified body for creator-related policy and encouraged creators to adapt with clear rules in place.
Japan is betting on AI as a growth lever amid a shrinking population. The country's creative exports topped 5.8 trillion yen (about US$36.5 billion) in 2023. In December, the government announced its first national AI basic plan with 1 trillion yen earmarked for AI-related policies-framed as a long-term investment to manage risk and support growth.
For Sato and thousands like him, the debate isn't about stopping AI. It's about whether people can keep working-and living-with dignity as it spreads. "AI won't disappear," he said. "But creators shouldn't disappear either."
What this means for creatives
- Use consent-first licensing. Ask clients to confirm, in writing, that your work won't be used for AI training without explicit approval-and define what "training" means.
- Add contract basics: labeling of AI-generated outputs, rights and usage limits, audit rights, late-fee terms, and a kill fee. Keep your terms in a one-page addendum you can attach to any project.
- Track your work. Keep a clean archive with timestamps, drafts, and process notes. It helps if you need to prove authorship or negotiate credit and royalties.
- Protect your portfolio. Add visible notices about AI training restrictions and embed creator info in file metadata where possible.
- Push for collective strength. Join or form guilds and associations, share rate cards, and document bad actor practices. Leverage community to push for fair norms.
- Adopt AI on your terms. Use it for speed, exploration, and comps-while keeping core style, storytelling, and direction human. Be transparent with clients about how you use it.
- Diversify revenue. Build direct channels (subscriptions, limited editions, commission tiers). Reduce dependence on a single platform or client.
Practical next steps
- Create a standard "No AI training without consent" clause and add it to every agreement.
- Ask clients to label AI-assisted assets and separate them from human-only work in briefs and deliverables.
- If your work appears on stock sites, review opt-out settings and training permissions regularly.
- Join discussions with peers and industry groups pushing for labeling, transparency, and revenue-sharing.
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