An International Legal Consideration of the Issues on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems Including Nanomachine: A Perspective of International Law Studies in Japan

Abstract

This paper aims to explore the legal issues on the use of Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS). This study is based on the recent research trend in Japan regarding studying the relationships between the international humanitarian law and the international law of human rights. The paper seeks to apply the integration theory to the relationship of both laws. As a result, this idea can pave the way for suppressing the usage of LAWS in future armed conflicts. Since the use of LAWS may lead to immense injury to fundamental human rights, it is necessary to adopt the integration theory to prevent futile, unnecessary and inhumane damage. In addition, when considering the components of a nanomachine, the most important component is the autonomous non-metallic system of the machine. Although there are some international conventions that are applicable to this system, some interpretive problems still exist. This situation shows that international law does not have to be divided into international human rights law and international humanitarian law. At the same time, strictly speaking, there is no international law that governs the nonmetallic system of a nanomachine at the present.