Japan’s 10-Million Robot Bet: How “Physical AI” Became a Survival Plan for a Country Running Out of Workers
Japan has revised its national AI robotics strategy with an unprecedented goal: deploy 10 million AI-powered robots across 18 industries by 2040, backed by roughly ¥1 trillion ($6.1 billion) in public funding. A new consortium called Noetra — led by SoftBank, NEC, Sony and Honda — will build Japan’s own “physical AI” foundation model. With Japan’s workforce projected to shrink by 11 million people by 2040, this is less a technology race than a demographic survival plan.
