Interview: Japan’s alliances on the global stage with MP Akihisa Shiozaki - The Sedona Forum 2026
Akihisa Shiozaki, a Member of Japan’s House of Representatives, has described Japan’s immigration policy as one of the most lenient in the world, citing the country as being welcoming to skilled labour.
Shiozaki, who is also the Parliamentary Countermeasures Vice Chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), told Global South World that Japan has a shortage of skilled labour, and the perception of the country being strict on immigration is partially true for non-skilled labour.
“We are inviting workers from many countries because we have a very serious shortage in labour force. Japan has traditionally been seen as very strict on immigration. That remains partially true in terms of the non-skilled labour force, but for skilled labour, we are very open and welcoming, he told Ismail Akwei at The Sedona Forum, organised by the McCain Institute in Arizona.
He also expressed Japan’s position in the ongoing U.S. and Israeli operations in Iran, calling for a quick resolution for ships and trade to operate freely and openly.
“We are concerned about what's happening in the Hormuz right now, and would like to see that the situation is resolved as soon as possible. Japan relies 95% of their oil from the Hormuz. So, you know, we have a lot of stockpile, but we would be concerned if this continues much longer,” he said.
“Japan plays a very key role in the Indo-Pacific, where the late Prime Minister Abe advocated for a free and open Indo-Pacific area. So we want to ensure that ships and trade happen freely and openly in that region, which is a centre of business for not only Asia, but for Africa and other parts of the world,” he added.
Akihisa Shiozaki is the lead author of the LDP’s AI White Paper, which was recently relaunched after the 2023 landmark version, which laid the foundation for Japan’s AI Promotion Act 2025. He told Ismail Akwei that the AI White Paper is a strategy for Japan to adapt to Agentic AI, which uses large language models to achieve complex goals, rather than just generating text.
“So Agentic AI, we believe, is a totally new form of human-machine collaboration, and the policy must adapt to those kinds of challenges. For example, what if an AI agent does a commercial transaction? Is that valid? If one AI claims that they've been deceived, how do you treat that under civil law? So these are all questions, legal questions and regulatory questions that countries need to start redesigning and shifting from an era where humans were the only players in society,” he explained.
Akihisa Shiozaki was a participant and one of the panellists at the McCain Institute’s signature annual event, the Sedona Forum, which provides a unique opportunity for United States and world leaders to have informal, face-to-face discussions about real solutions to the problems facing the world today. It is held each spring in the red rock country of Sedona, Arizona, to bring about positive change in national and world affairs.
Watch the full interview attached to this story.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
