Robotics | Print |

Early Adoption = Business Opportunities
Japan’s eagerness to embrace new technology has led to huge opportunities in the robotics industry. Consistently strong demand from highly-competitive manufacturing companies means Japan’s robotics market, valued at $7 billion, is among the largest in the world. This strength has translated into leadership in the burgeoning social welfare robotics field, which is expected to fuel explosive growth to the robotics industry as a whole. The Japanese robotics market is projected to grow to $30 billion by 2010, and to $80 billion by 2025, opening up market and partnering opportunities for American companies.

Industrial Robotics
Japan’s robotics market is currently dominated by industrial applications with 99% of the robots shipped in 2003 used in manufacturing. Roughly 350,000 industrial robots are currently in operation in Japan–-more than three times as many in any other country in the world. Demand for industrial robots has been strong since the 1980’s and, after peaking during the IT Bubble, has grown each year since 2001. Recent manufacturing advances in other Asian countries have also fueled greater demand for exports.

Consumer Robotics
Much of the projected growth in the robotics industry will be driven by the emergence of robots as commercially viable consumer products. Rather than being limited to manufacturing applications, the next generation of robotics will play a number of roles in everyday life. Commercially available entertainment robots such as Honda’s Asimo and Sony’s Aibo have attracted media attention worldwide, but future robots will have more varied and practical functions.

  • Welfare
    • Robots currently in development will be able to monitor a patient’s health from home and communicate vital information directly to physicians.
  • Therapy
    • Care facilities in Japan are already introducing robots as therapeutic aids to reduce stress levels in the elderly. For more information, please see JETRO’s RoboNexus page. Robotics are also finding applications in physical therapy environments, such as injury rehabilitation.
  • Cleaning and Sanitation
    • Robots capable of following maps and avoiding obstacles are being used to clean both public areas and private residences.
  • Entertainment
    • In addition to Asimo and Aibo, other entertainment robots, such as the ones on display at the Aichi Exposition, are drawing media attention.

JETRO Support
JETRO is committed to supporting American robotics companies partner with Japanese companies and enter the Japanese market. JETRO actively participates in robotics-related events, including sponsorship in the RoboBusiness and RoboNexus Conferences. In July 2005, JETRO offered American companies a unique opportunity to get inside the Japanese robotics industry with the Robotics Mission. For a detailed wrap up of the Robotics Mission, please see JETRO’s August/September Midwest Newsletter (pdf, 348kb).

Opportunities for American Companies
Opportunities for American companies existing in numerous fields in Japan include:

  • distributing Japanese entertainment robots to U.S. retailers
  • collaborating on joint robotics development in the areas of search & rescue robots and social welfare robots
  • combining U.S. artificial intelligence (AI) technology with Japanese mechanics to develop better robots
  • collaborating with Japanese robotics companies on developing business models to commercialize robots for the U.S. market
  • joining robotics research with Japanese universities and companies

For more information on how your company can get involved in the Japanese robotics market, please contact JETRO.