The Legal Status of Robots in Japan: The Case of Pepper Robot

This paper examines the evolving legal challenges posed by socially interactive robots in Japan, with a particular focus on Pepper, the humanoid robot developed by SoftBank Robotics. As robots transition from industrial tools to emotionally responsive agents in public spaces, traditional legal classifications—centered on the binary of “person” versus “object”—are increasingly insufficient. Japan’s unique cultural context, characterized by deep-rooted techno-animism and social acceptance of robots, provides fertile ground for rethinking legal personhood, liability, and regulation in the age of artificial intelligence. The first section contextualizes Japan’s global leadership in robotics, highlighting Pepper’s symbolic role as the world’s first commercially available “emotional” robot. The second section assesses Pepper’s current legal status under Japanese civil, labor, tax, and liability law, showing that robots remain legally defined as property despite their increasing autonomy. The third section explores advanced debates surrounding Pepper’s potential status as an “electronic person,” the data privacy implications of its affective computing functions, and the legal ambiguity surrounding robot-initiated contracts. It also analyzes the 2018 Fukuoka “robot residency” initiative as a realworld example of symbolic legal experimentation. The final section proposes four key policy directions: (1) exploring limited forms of electronic personhood inspired by the EU’s 2017 robotics resolution; (2) adopting a tripartite liability framework among producers, operators, and users; (3) enhancing Japan’s leadership in international forums such as the OECD and United Nations; and (4) promoting inclusive public dialogue to integrate ethical, philosophical, and legal perspectives. The paper concludes that while robots like Pepper challenge legal orthodoxy, they also offer an opportunity to reconceptualize law in the age of intelligent machines.