LF Research, the Linux Foundation's research arm, published "The State of Open Source Japan 2025" in December 2025, a Japan-focused cut of its annual World of Open Source survey produced with LF Japan and Canonical. It sets out how Japanese companies use open source software (OSS) and where they get stuck. Of 851 survey responses gathered worldwide, 141 came from Japanese organizations.

69% Report Rising Value, 15 Points Above the Global Average

Sixty-nine percent reported increased business value from OSS over the past year, above the global average of 54%. A further 74% consider OSS valuable for their organization's future.

Japanese companies are beginning to treat OSS not as a mere alternative technology but as a strategic tool for cost reduction and innovation.

The Missing Layer Is Operating Systems and Cloud

Yet this high value recognition contrasts with slow adoption of foundational infrastructure, which spans operating systems, DevOps, databases, and cloud native tooling. According to the report, Japan's cloud technology adoption stands at 33%, below the global average of 52%, while adoption of open source operating systems trails the global average by nearly 40 percentage points. The defining paradox of OSS use in Japan is "recognizing the value but not yet using it for core infrastructure."

Behind this lag lie organizational factors particular to Japanese companies: a risk-averse decision-making culture, reliance on proven proprietary systems, and concerns about data sovereignty and regulatory compliance.

Four Times the Global Rate in AR/VR

By contrast, Japanese companies show strength in specific domains: augmented and virtual reality, 3D simulation, blockchain, and manufacturing technologies. In AR/VR and visual technologies, they adopt open source at four times the global rate. These are fields where decades of hardware and precision-engineering work meet software, and open source has functioned as an accelerant rather than a disruptor. Read that way, Japan isn't broadly behind; it is concentrating open source where it produces differentiation.

What Governance Actually Looks Like, and a Twist in Security

The organizational picture is not simply one of lagging behind. Only 41% of companies have an Open Source Program Office (OSPO), 39% have a clear OSS strategy, and 33% publicly state their position on OSS. All fall short of half. But by the Linux Foundation's own reading, Japan is ahead of the rest of the world on establishing OSPOs, engaging with communities, funding open source ecosystems, and declaring a public position, and trails only slightly on having a defined strategy.

What the report treats as the weightiest finding is executive understanding. Just 70% of C-suite respondents see OSS as valuable to their organization's future, against 85% of non-C-level respondents. The people making adoption decisions understand it less well than the people doing the work.

There are barriers lower down too. As a barrier to adoption, 51% cited a "lack of policies or guidance on OSS use," far above the global average of 28%. Teams fearing legal risk stay in passive consumption.

Security assessment is skewed as well. Only 26% of companies check community activity levels when evaluating components, well below the global average of 47%. This suggests that while certification "seals of approval" are valued, the substantive check of whether the software will be maintained over time is often neglected.

A Market That Wants an Answer Within 12 Hours

Japanese companies' stance shows up in their support requirements. For critical issues in production, 89% expect a response within 12 hours, far above the global average of 69%. The share considering paid support essential is also high, at 45% for heavily regulated industries (versus 36% globally). It reflects treating OSS not as a free tool but as core infrastructure that cannot go down.

How Deep the Engagement Goes, and What Holds It Back

The survey shows a correlation between engagement and competitiveness. Among very active organizations, 73% agreed that OSS makes them more competitive, versus 56% among less active ones.

The biggest barrier to deeper participation is concern over intellectual property (IP). Fifty-two percent cited IP fears as a barrier to contributing, and 44% as a barrier to adoption, while 34% were uncertain about ROI. These are the numbers that argue for specialized expertise and formal governance.

Noriaki Fukuyasu, VP of Japan Operations at the Linux Foundation, called the 2025 report a turning point at which "open source in Japan has evolved from a mere option into a strategic imperative underpinning competitiveness and innovation." He points to the need to close the gap strategically through formal governance and a shift from passive use to active ecosystem participation.

Note that the report is based on an online survey and reflects the traits of the responding companies. For example, its OSPO figure of 41% is far higher than the much lower rate reported in a separate IPA survey, so such reports are best read with their premises in mind.

Hilary Carter, who leads this research at LF Research, wrote in a blog post after publication that what stands out about Japan is not hesitation but intentionality: organizations there are thoughtful, exacting, and deeply pragmatic about how they adopt technology, and that approach is now showing up as measurable business value. The next annual edition is due at the end of 2026, which is when any movement on governance should become visible in the numbers (as of September 2026).

What is the situation in your country regarding the adoption and use of open source software? If there are points in common with Japan, or differences, we'd love to hear them.