Photo from:Pasonadate.co.jp

The artificial intelligence market is on the rise in Japan.

By 2025, the global market for artificial intelligence is projected to be worth between 156 and 360 billion euros.

The Asia Pacific region is anticipated to overtake North America’s number one spot on the global AI market by 2025.

There are 6 prominent techniques used by Japan to develop its artificial intelligence strategy: Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Speech Recognition, Natural Language Processing, Image Processing, Computer Vision.

What distinguishes Japan from other countries is a consistent concept underlying all introduced regulation-the vision of Society 5.0.

■Society 5.0 and The Core Techniques Behind Japan’s Artificial Intelligence Strategy

Society 5.0 was proposed in the 5th Science and Technology Basic Plan as a future society that Japan should aspire to. It follows the hunting society (Society 1.0), agricultural society (Society 2.0), industrial society (Society 3.0), and information society (Society 4.0).

In Society 5.0, a huge amount of information from sensors in physical space is accumulated in cyberspace. In cyberspace, this big data is analyzed by AI, and the analysis results are fed back to human in physical space in various forms.

As of today, Japan has 200 to 300 AI-related companies.

Japan is NO.1 in the world as a supplier of industrial robots and third, after China and the USA, in AI R&D. Regarding AI patents, Toshiba Japan is the highest contributor, claiming the world’s third spot, right after IBM and Microsoft.

■The Role of the Private Sector in Japan’s Artificial Intelligence Strategy

Photo from: IP Closeup

The private sector plays a major role in artificial intelligence research and development. Prominent companies like Toshiba, Toyota, Fujitsu, Hitachi and NEC are invested in diverse practices and technologies of artificial intelligence.

The strategy aims not only to improve the situation on a national level, targeting five designated priority areas (manufacturing, transportation and logistics, health and medical care, agriculture and disaster response) but also globally-by helping solve grand challenges like ageing society and labour shortage.