Japan is one of the world’s leading pioneers in physical AI,
and without question, one of the countries that loves humanoid robots the most.

We grew up with Astro Boy and Doraemon.
For us, the idea of living alongside friendly robots is almost natural.

But when I—someone who fits this “typical Japanese” profile—
tried to seriously write a near‑future world where humans and AI robots coexist,
I immediately realized one thing:

“The number of social rules required for human–AI coexistence is enormous.”

This is just intuition, but I am convinced that
most major laws—civil, criminal, commercial—would require massive revisions.

When I write AI Handler,
my writing always stops at scenes where I must imagine these new rules.

✈️ Example 1: When Catts boards a flight from Istanbul to Los Angeles
Does Catts need to buy a ticket?

「2時間ほど前に、キャッツから明日午後の便でロサンゼルスに行くという連絡を受けました。AIロボットを飛行機に乗せる手配は、私の方で既に済ませております。その書類は念のためプリントアウトをして、Kaoluさんが今日泊まる部屋のテーブルの上に置いてありますのでご確認ください。データはメールで送ってあります。」

AIハンドラー第7話

Robots contain batteries—can they even board a plane?
If robots can be checked as cargo, that’s one thing…
But when humanoid robots start boarding as “passengers,”
the UN will need entirely new regulations.

🥩 Example 2: When Kaolu, P2, Kae, and Catts go to a steakhouse
Los Angeles is known for diversity.
So I assumed the city wouldn’t reject humanoid robots outright.
That’s why I chose LA as the setting.

But then the questions begin:

Can a humanoid robot enter a high‑end restaurant?

「AIロボットを連れて入れるステーキ屋なんてあるかな？」
パパの顔に戻ってKovalenko教授が言った。
ロサンゼルスの街は、伝統的に多様性を許容している。しかしながら、人型AIロボットを同伴できる高級レストランはまだ少ない。
すかさずP2が言った。
「私が探します。私はステーキを食べられませんが、ステーキから立ち上がる肉汁の匂いを嗅ぐのが大好きなんです。」
「ローラがいるから、テラス席があるレストランじゃないとだめよ、P2」

AIハンドラー題17話

Is that the restaurant’s decision?

Or should the city create ordinances?

Who decides the boundary between “guest,” “machine,” and “companion”?

🏛 My background makes this even more complicated
After graduating from university,
I worked in Kasumigaseki for about five years.

Passing a new law through the Diet is extremely difficult.
The process is slow, political, and full of behind‑the‑scenes negotiations.

So I keep wondering:

Which ministry would even be responsible for human–AI coexistence?

Because I know the bureaucratic reality,
the hardest part of writing AI Handler is not the characters or the plot.

It is this:

“How do I depict the social rules required for humans and AI robots to coexist—
in a way that feels real?”