A recent corporate survey indicates that about one-third of Japanese companies are either already deploying or actively considering the deployment of AI-driven robots, with makers of automobiles and other transportation equipment at the forefront of interest and adoption.
The survey results show 4% of respondents are currently using AI-equipped robots, while 5% said they plan to deploy them and another 25% are considering such steps. The remaining 66% reported no present plans to introduce AI-capable robotic systems.
Transportation equipment manufacturers emerged as the most proactive group: 80% of firms in that sector said they are either using AI robots or investigating their use. By contrast, a substantial majority in the wholesale sector - 94% of respondents - indicated they have no plans to bring AI robots into their operations.
Among companies that reported they are using, planning to use, or considering AI robots, the most commonly cited application was manufacturing, selected by 71% of that subgroup. Other identified purposes included tasks that involve certain levels of danger, chosen by 19%, and customer-facing services, cited by 11%. The question permitted multiple responses.
The nation’s government views the adoption of AI-capable robots in workplaces as an important tool to address Japan’s long-standing labor shortage and as a way to reinforce Japan’s position in the industrial robotics market. Japan remains home to major conventional robotics producers such as Fanuc, Yaskawa Electric and Kawasaki Heavy Industries, but respondents noted that competition in AI-enabled robotics is intensifying from rivals in China and the United States.
The survey text differentiated AI-enabled robots from traditional industrial robots by noting that AI variants possess a degree of autonomy that allows them to assess their environment and determine actions, as opposed to simply repeating pre-programmed motions.
The polling was carried out by Nikkei Research from May 1-15. Nikkei Research contacted 492 companies and recorded 220 responses provided on the condition of anonymity.
Separately, the survey asked firms about a government guideline urging listed companies to make more effective use of financial assets that have grown in value to promote corporate growth. On that topic, 60% of respondents said the decision about how to handle such financial assets should be left to individual firms. Forty-four percent said the size of the corporation should be a factor when applying any such policy, and 24% said retaining a certain level of financial assets is necessary to enable wage increases. Multiple answers were allowed for this question as well.
The Financial Services Agency and the Tokyo Stock Exchange last month put forward a draft revision to Japan’s corporate governance code urging listed companies to ensure that financial and other assets are being used efficiently to support growth strategies.
Data referenced in the survey show cash and deposits held by Japanese companies with capital of 1 billion yen or more, excluding financial and insurance firms, totaled 83 trillion yen in 2024, an increase of 54% compared with a decade earlier. That accumulation of liquid assets has prompted questions about whether these funds could be more actively deployed to stimulate growth.
One respondent, identified in the survey only as an official at a ceramics maker, commented on the draft revision by saying: "What the draft revision is calling for is to make checks and explain if business resources are at appropriate levels. A rise and fall in cash and deposits itself should not come under scrutiny."
The draft revision also recommended that listed firms submit securities reports at least three weeks ahead of general meetings of shareholders. The survey cited last year’s practice where approximately 58% of companies with financial years ending in March filed securities reports ahead of their general meetings, but among those firms, 80% submitted their reports just one or two days before the meetings.
When asked whether meeting the three-week advance filing target is feasible, 33% of respondents said complying with that timeline would be burdensome and difficult. Another 26% said they would need to take actions such as postponing the dates of shareholders’ meetings in order to meet the guideline.
Exchange rate used in the survey's financial references: $1 = 158.9200 yen.