Japan Actors Union bans AI voices of dead without consent
Japan's voice actors will not let AI speak for the dead without consent.
The Japan Actors Union has published new guidelines for generative AI, systems trained on existing recordings to create new speech. The rules were reported on 19 October 2026. They cover training, reuse, translation and payment. Eurogamer
No consent, no voice. The union bans replication of a deceased actor's voice unless that actor authorised it during their lifetime. Even then, producers must still get permission from the actor's family and affiliated agency or company. Royalties must be paid.
Permission is required at every stage. That starts before training. A company cannot feed an actor's performance into a model without clear agreement.
An AI copy counts as work. The guidelines treat an AI replication as a new performance. That means compensation to the actor whose voice or work was used.
Translated performances get protection too. Generative AI translations must keep the artistic integrity of the original. They may not be released in overseas regions without permission.
For fans, this means familiar voices in games, animation and dubs stay under human control. A studio cannot clone a performance for another market or bring back a late actor on its own say-so.
The union also calls for prioritising human talent, according to earlier reporting on the guidelines. Asahi Shimbun
The guidelines are not laws. They do not bind AI companies on their own. The union said it will push to make them industry-wide rules and will encourage the government to legislate to protect voice rights.
