TOKYO - An AI startup that emerged almost overnight, Akari had long been known only to insiders due to its limited media exposure, but after receiving investment from Mitsubishi Electric at the end of January and seeing its corporate valuation surge past 100 billion yen, the Tokyo-born venture has rapidly positioned itself as a leading unicorn candidate in Japan’s AI sector.
Unicorn companies are generally defined as firms with valuations exceeding $1 billion, or roughly 150 billion yen, and while Japan has produced only a handful of such companies, Akari’s sudden leap has drawn intense attention across the technology and industrial landscape.
Founded in 2021, Akari is an AI startup originating from the University of Tokyo, with roughly 40% of its engineers alumni of the university. The company has been developing proprietary AI solutions and expanding its business at remarkable speed, particularly within the construction industry.
The broader public first encountered the company through a full-page advertisement in the January 29th edition of The Nikkei declaring, “From Japan’s Pride to the Light of the World.” The ad, striking but abstract, did not even clearly identify the firm as a corporation, reinforcing its aura of mystery. Video advertisements have also appeared in taxis, prompting many to ask: What exactly is Akari?
CEO Noro says the company name carries two meanings. “First, we want to be a light that illuminates Japan,” he explains. “Not only by providing AI to Japanese industries, but by becoming a company that gives hope within Japan itself.”
The second meaning is embedded in the character for Akari, which includes the element meaning “to climb.” Noro says the company seeks to embody the spirit of burning with passion and climbing to the summit. “It is not easy to win through pure technology or ideas alone,” he says. “We must refine our technology as a matter of course, but also think until our heads feel like they might burst, work desperately, and deliver our technology to companies. Organizational strength is crucial.”
Akari has emphasized culture and discipline from its earliest days. The office design reflects this ethos, and employees reportedly gather to reaffirm the company’s principles daily. Noro says he wants to install what he calls “Japanese spirituality” into the organization, drawing on what he believes are strengths of Japanese companies: dedication, attention to detail and collective resolve.
When Akari was first profiled about two years ago, it operated out of a small office. Even then, major general contractors were already adopting its AI systems. Rather than relying on existing networks, Noro and his team visited construction sites directly, often without appointments. In the early days, he even traveled by bicycle to companies’ offices, asking for the chance to observe their operations.
“At the beginning, we had almost no knowledge,” Noro recalls. “So we humbly visited companies and construction sites, gathered information with our own feet, and thoroughly investigated what challenges existed and what services would truly be used.”
Akari deliberately chose construction as its first target sector. The industry faces severe labor shortages and has historically struggled with efficiency improvements using conventional technologies. Construction work requires on-site decision-making and the processing of complex visual and situational data, making it difficult to optimize through simple numerical data analysis alone.
Noro believed that advances in deep learning, including AI systems capable of visual recognition, auditory processing and even robotics, could dramatically transform the field. “We thought this was an area where AI and robotics could have the greatest impact,” he says.
One moment that left a deep impression on him came when a client asked for help shortening construction timelines. “Even a small reduction in the construction period would make a difference,” the client told him, urging Akari to lend its AI capabilities. Noro says such comments reinforced his belief that Akari’s technology could support not only construction companies but also manufacturers and clients further upstream in the supply chain.
With Mitsubishi Electric’s capital participation, expectations are rising that Akari will accelerate its expansion both domestically and internationally. Whether it can truly become a light that illuminates Japan’s economic and industrial future now stands as a question closely watched by the market.
Source: テレ東BIZ
