A third of Japanese companies have already installed or are considering introducing AI-powered robots, with automakers and other transportation equipment makers leading the way, a Reuters poll found on Thursday.
The Japanese government hopes the introduction of AI robots into the workplace will be key to addressing the country’s chronic labor shortage and solidifying its position as a major supplier of industrial robots.
Home to Fanuc, Yaskawa Electric, and Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Japan is a global powerhouse for traditional industrial robots.
But now it faces tougher competition from China and the United States in the field of AI-enabled robots. Rather than simply repeating predefined tasks, AI-enabled robots have some degree of autonomy to assess their environment and choose actions accordingly.
The survey showed that approximately 4% of respondents are already using AI robots, 5% are planning to deploy them, and 25% are considering deploying them, while the remaining 66% have no such plans.
Transportation equipment manufacturers are the most aggressive adopters of AI-powered robots, with 80% already using or considering leveraging AI. In contrast, 94% of respondents in the wholesale sector have no plans to deploy AI robots.
Among respondents who already use, plan to use, or are considering using AI robots, 71% chose manufacturing as their specific use, 19% chose work with some level of risk, and 11% chose customer-facing services.
The survey questions allowed for multiple answers.
The poll was conducted by Nikkei Research for Reuters from May 1-15. Nikkei Research surveyed 492 companies, of which 220 responded on condition of anonymity.
Hoarding cash?
When asked about government guidelines requiring listed companies to effectively utilize financial assets that have increased in value to foster growth, 60% of respondents said individual companies’ decisions on this issue should be respected, and 44% said company size should be taken into account when applying such policies.
Additionally, 24% said it was necessary to maintain a certain level of financial assets in order to be able to raise wages.
This question allowed multiple answers.
Last month, the Financial Services Agency and the Tokyo Stock Exchange finalized a draft amendment to Japan’s corporate governance code, requiring companies to ensure that their financial and other assets are efficiently used for growth.
Japanese companies with capital of 1 billion yen ($6.9 billion) or more (excluding financial and insurance companies) will have a total of 83 trillion yen in cash and deposits in 2024, an increase of 54% compared to 10 years ago, raising questions about whether these assets can be used more effectively to promote growth.
“What the revised draft calls for is checking and explaining whether management resources are at an appropriate level. Increases and decreases in cash and deposits themselves should not be subject to monitoring,” an official at a ceramics manufacturer wrote in a research paper.
The proposed amendments also encouraged listed companies to submit their securities reports at least three weeks before the general meeting of shareholders.
Last year, about 58% of companies with fiscal year-ends in March submitted their securities reports prior to their general meeting of shareholders, and 80% of those that did so submitted their reports one to two days before the general meeting of shareholders.
When asked whether it would be possible to submit securities reports at least three weeks before the general meeting, 33% said it would be burdensome and difficult to meet the target, and 26% said they would need to take steps such as delaying the meeting to comply with the guidelines.
