Azerbaijan and Japan discuss joining the G7's Hiroshima AI Process

Azerbaijan's Ministry of Digital Development and Transport (Rəqəmsal İnkişaf və Nəqliyyat Nazirliyi) and Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications discussed Azerbaijan's participation in the G7's Hiroshima AI Process on 9 October 2026, Report.az reported, citing the Azerbaijani ministry.

What was discussed

• Deputy Minister of Digital Development and Transport Samaddin Asadov met Japan's Deputy Minister for International Affairs Hideo Fuseda, according to Report, citing the Azerbaijani ministry.
• They discussed finalising an Action Plan for ICT and postal cooperation, participation in the Hiroshima AI Process, and ICT use in disaster prevention, Report said.
• The sides also discussed exchanging experience in artificial intelligence, digital transformation and innovation, and joint-project opportunities, according to Report.
• Trend.az, citing the same meeting, confirmed the participants and reported the sides "exchanged views on finalizing the Action Plan on cooperation in ICT and postal services, participation in the Hiroshima AI Process."
• Neither outlet published a timeline, budget or text for the Action Plan.

The Hiroshima AI Process was launched by the G7 under Japan's presidency in May 2023 to promote "safe, secure, and trustworthy AI," producing the Hiroshima Process International Guiding Principles for All AI Actors and a code of conduct for AI developers, according to the Japanese government's JapanGov portal.

Why it matters

Formal participation in a G7-led AI governance framework would differ from the bilateral AI memorandums Azerbaijan has signed with individual vendors: it points toward shared rules, not one company's pilot. Regionally, it would put Baku ahead of most Caspian and Central Asian neighbours, which have not announced engagement with the Hiroshima framework.

What it means for Azerbaijani companies

Azerbaijan's Artificial Intelligence Strategy for 2025–2028, approved by presidential decree and reported on 19 March 2025, names "creating favourable conditions for the implementation of artificial intelligence" as one of its four goals and tasks the State Service for Special Communication and Information Security (Xüsusi Rabitə və İnformasiya Təhlükəsizliyi Dövlət Xidməti) with analysing information-security risks in state bodies that deploy AI. If participation in the Hiroshima AI Process follows, it would give that domestic risk-analysis work an international reference point, comparable in purpose to the transparency duties the EU AI Act places on providers of general-purpose AI models. No text or timeline has been published, so companies should treat this as a signal to watch, not a compliance deadline.