Yaskawa's June 2026 plan puts 120 billion yen into Physical AI. FANUC published a ROS 2 driver on GitHub and partnered with both NVIDIA and Google. Mujin raised 36.4 billion. Japan still owns 35% of an industrial robot's cost through precision reducers, but the killer app hasn't shown up.
Japan's government has set an ambitious target of ¥40 trillion ($260B) in domestic semiconductor sales by 2040, announcing plans for cutting-edge AI research hubs. From Rapidus's 2nm chips in Hokkaido to TSMC's $17B 3nm fab in Kumamoto and JDI's $13B US display plant, we break down Japan's full semiconductor strategy—and compare it with the US CHIPS Act, EU Chips Act, and South Korea's and Taiwan's chip policies.
The NTT-led IOWN Global Forum has signed a comprehensive partnership with ETSI, Europe's telecom standards body, revealed at MWC Barcelona 2026 and following a February tie-up with the Open Compute Project. Where does a photonics-electronics technology promising one hundredth the power and one two-hundredth the latency stand in a 6G standards race between the US, China and Europe? A look at the forum's 170-plus members and its roadmap.
As AI demand pushes terrestrial data centers toward their limits in power and cooling, a new frontier is opening in orbit. Japan's NTT Group and SKY Perfect JSAT are moving first through their joint venture Space Compass, built on the IOWN optical platform, while Google's Project Suncatcher and the startup Starcloud race to put solar-powered AI infrastructure in space. Inside Japan's edge in inter-satellite optical links, and the radiation, cooling and launch-cost problems still unsolved.
NTT and TBS have launched the "e6 project," a joint venture to build an AI-powered theme park where stories adapt to each child in real time. Their first original IP, "Emotional Knight," will expand into anime, games, and merchandise. Explore how Japan is pioneering AI-driven edutainment to nurture children's decision-making skills.
NTT is moving to repurpose its nationwide underground communication conduits for hydrogen transport. Using 600,000km of existing infrastructure could cut initial costs to under half of new pipeline construction. Commercialization is targeted for 2028, with transport trials in Tokyo set for fiscal 2026.
Japanese tech and trading giants NTT Data, Sumitomo Corporation, and JA Mitsui Leasing establish Intra-Asia Marine Networks to build and operate the I-AM Cable connecting Japan with Southeast Asia. The $1 billion project features 320Tbps capacity and aims to strengthen Japan's position as Asia-Pacific data hub by 2029.