Japanese Govt to Set Up Global Hubs for AI Robotics Research

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:25 JST, March 26, 2026

The government plans to establish international hubs for artificial intelligence robotics to promote research and development as well as cultivating human resources in an integrated manner, with a view to collaborating with overseas partners.

The initiative is a key pillar of an “AI robotics strategy,” a plan to be finalized shortly by the government. The draft strategy, seen by The Yomiuri Shimbun, is aimed at accelerating the development and widespread adoption of robots that operate autonomously using AI.

The plan calls for creating international hubs in the nation to focus intensive efforts on research and development, as well as on training human resources, while also providing support for the deployment of AI robots across 16 sectors, including logistics, nursing care, agriculture, disaster response and defense.

The draft notes that Japanese firms dominate 70% of the global market for industrial robots in fields such as auto production, possessing an abundance of data for operating machinery.

Citing Japan’s global edge in robot components such as motors, the draft outlines specific measures to bolster international competitiveness.

At these international hubs, the development and testing of AI and robotics, along with data collection, will be expedited through the use of facilities located close to actual deployment sites, such as homes and factories. The government also envisions joint research with overseas firms and universities.

To support AI robot adoption across the 16 sectors, the government is considering providing subsidies and other financial aid. It aims to achieve practical use in each field by 2030, thereby collecting data essential for further development.

The government also plans to collaborate with manufacturers of industrial robots and automobiles to cultivate developers of general-purpose robots, such as humanoid models.

To bolster the development of AI functioning as the “brain” of robots, the government also revealed a plan to provide a domestically produced AI — currently being codeveloped by industry, academia and the government — for testing around June next year.

The draft strategy concludes that Japan can demonstrate its strengths in the field of “physical AI,” which controls the movement of robots, and other hardware.

The draft emphasizes that the convergence of AI and robotics presents a “once-in-a-century opportunity” for Japan. It sets a target of boosting the nation’s global market share in AI robotics to more than 30% by 2040, on par with the level of the United States and China.