The Japanese government is preparing to use artificial intelligence robots to fill the growing labor shortage. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry recently released the latest revised "Artificial Intelligence Robot Strategy," clearly stating a grand national goal. This plan expects to deploy a total of 10 million AI robots in 18 different industry fields across Japan by 2040. This measure aims to alleviate the overall labor shortage caused by an aging population and persistently low birth rates.

To realize this blueprint, the Japanese government is working to build an advanced physical AI and robot data infrastructure globally. Officials hope that this infrastructure will fully leverage Japan's unique advantages in traditional robot manufacturing and technology research and development.

The government is investing heavily to develop AI large models

In terms of core software and model development for these AI robots, the Japanese government has also shown significant financial support. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry plans to provide a total of 1 trillion yen in funding to a joint company named Noetra over the next five years. This company has deep roots and was jointly established by major Japanese technology and manufacturing giants such as SoftBank, NEC, Honda, and Sony.

This substantial financial funding will mainly be used for the development of multimodal platforms to enhance the intelligence and collaboration capabilities of robots. In particular, by the 2026 fiscal year, the Japanese government has already planned 387.3 billion yen in budget allocation to ensure the smooth start and efficient advancement of this project.