The Freelance League of Japan’s wide-ranging October 2025 survey of nearly 25,000 freelance creators paints a stark picture of how generative artificial intelligence is reshaping the Japanese creative economy. According to the survey, a large majority of respondents see generative AI as a direct threat to their ability to earn a living, and many report concrete effects on commissions and income streams. (Sources: Japan Times, IntelliNews)

The study found that roughly one in eight creators reported that their earnings have already fallen because of generative AI. Of those, most experienced modest to substantial declines: about 9.3% said income dropped between 10% and 50%, while roughly 2.7% reported losses exceeding half their revenue. Freelancers described clients increasingly demanding faster turnarounds and lower fees, often presuming or favouring AI-generated work, which has led to lost commissions for some. (Sources: Japan Times, IntelliNews)

Visual artists were the dominant group in the respondent pool, with illustrators, manga creators and animators making up the bulk of participants. That concentration helps explain why concerns among creatives skew strongly toward image-generation tools and the specific commercial pressures those tools introduce. (Sources: Automaton Media summary, Japan Times)

Beyond income figures, the survey signals substantial support among creators for stricter transparency and consent rules around model training and use. A clear majority want training datasets to disclose copyrighted works included in learning material and prefer an opt-in rather than an opt-out approach to consent for using their work in machine learning. Many respondents also rejected proposed revenue-sharing schemes, with a plurality saying they could not accept any of the options presented. The Freelance League has urged policymakers to mandate dataset transparency, require labelling of AI output, establish fair compensation mechanisms and create a regulatory body to oversee those rules. (Sources: Automaton Media summary, Japan Times)

The broader technology adoption picture in Japan provides context for these tensions. Government research shows generative AI uptake among the public remains relatively low compared with several other major economies, with only around a quarter of people reporting use; business adoption is higher but companies frequently note concerns about reliability and a lack of in-house expertise. Those patterns suggest policy responses will need to balance creator protections with the reality that many firms and consumers are still familiarising themselves with the technology. (Sources: Asahi/Asia & Japan Watch, Japan Times)

The survey’s findings add urgency to an unfolding policy debate: creators are reporting tangible economic harm and are calling for legal safeguards, while the wider economy navigates uneven adoption and worries about AI’s reliability. The Freelance League’s recommendations, on transparency, labelling, revenue sharing, labour protections and governance, map directly onto the issues freelancers say are already affecting commissions and livelihoods. How regulators respond will shape whether Japan’s creative sectors adapt, contract or transform as generative AI tools become more capable and more widely used. (Sources: Automaton Media summary, Japan Times, IntelliNews)

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Source: Noah Wire Services