METI to Provide 1 Trillion Yen to SoftBank Alliance and Others for Domestic AI Development

Jul 02, 2026 | News On Japan

TOKYO - Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said on June 30 that it has selected a corporate group including SoftBank as a recipient of support for domestic artificial intelligence development, with funding expected to reach as much as 1 trillion yen.

METI will first provide around 390 billion yen in fiscal 2026 to Noetora, a new company established with SoftBank, Sony Group, NEC and Honda as its core members, along with other entities.

Noetora plans to develop domestic AI jointly with the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, a national research organization. Total government support is expected to reach about 1 trillion yen over five years from the current fiscal year.

The public and private sectors aim to jointly develop core technologies for "physical AI," which enables robots and other machines to operate autonomously, as Japan seeks to compete with China and the United States, which are ahead in the field.

Source: テレ東BIZ

Typhoon No. 9 Forms as Linear Rainbands Bring Disaster-Level Rain to Kyushu

Successive linear rainbands formed across five prefectures in Kyushu through the morning of July 2, bringing disaster-level rain that caused river flooding, landslides and inundated roads, while Typhoon No. 9 formed over waters far southeast of Japan.

Carlos Ghosn Says Nissan Needs Him as CEO

Former Nissan Motor Chairman Carlos Ghosn said the automaker is in a "state of emergency" and signaled he would be willing to return as chief executive officer, arguing that only a true decision-maker in the CEO role could rescue the company.

U.S. Military Returns Entire Negishi Housing Area to Japan After 79 Years

The entire Negishi Housing Area in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, has been returned to Japan for the first time in 79 years, ending its use as a residential district for U.S. military personnel and their families.

Strong Quakes Strike Japan 11 Times Since April

Strong earthquakes have continued to shake parts of Japan in recent weeks, with 11 temblors measuring lower 5 or above on the Japanese seismic intensity scale recorded across the country since April 2026.

First Train of the Day Derails at Kintetsu Kyoto Station

A Kintetsu Railway train derailed inside Kyoto Station on the morning of June 29, forcing partial suspensions on the Kintetsu Kyoto Line for the rest of the day and causing long delays that hit commuters, students and tourists.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Web3 NEWS

METI to Provide 1 Trillion Yen to SoftBank Alliance and Others for Domestic AI Development

Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said on June 30 that it has selected a corporate group including SoftBank as a recipient of support for domestic artificial intelligence development, with funding expected to reach as much as 1 trillion yen.

Anthropic to Resume Mythos-Class AI Model After Export Controls Lifted

Anthropic said on June 30 that the U.S. Commerce Department has lifted export controls on its latest AI model, Claude Fable 5, allowing the American AI developer to resume offering the system in stages from July 1.

Japan’s Unique Approach to Gambling: History, Culture, and Legal Development

Japan has one of Asia’s strictest approaches to gambling regulation, with most forms of betting either prohibited or tightly controlled.

David Villa氏、BitradeXのグローバル・ブランドアンバサダーに就任

BitradeXは、2010年FIFAワールドカップ優勝メンバーであり、スペインを代表する伝説的ストライカーであるDavid Villa（ダビド・ビジャ）氏が、BitradeXのグローバル・ブランドアンバサダーに就任したことを正式に発表しました。

Japan’s IT Reshoring Story Is Really a Control Shift

The idea that Japanese conglomerates are pulling IT operations back from India and the Philippines sounds plausible.

Masayoshi Son Sets Out AI Vision at SoftBank Shareholder Meeting

SoftBank Group Chairman and CEO Masayoshi Son said the company aims to become the world’s leading AI company, outlining a strategy centered on four key fields including physical AI, such as robots equipped with artificial intelligence, and data centers.

AI Wearables Move Toward Everyday Use

An international supply chain exhibition in Beijing has put artificial intelligence at the center of its program this year, with manufacturers and semiconductor companies from around the world showcasing products aimed at practical use, including AI-equipped smart glasses that could reduce the need to look at a smartphone.

AI Medical System Strengthens Disaster Bed Coordination

Osaka General Medical Center in Osaka's Sumiyoshi Ward has begun introducing artificial intelligence to strengthen its system for accepting patients during disasters, using electronic medical records to visualize in real time each patient's risk of deterioration and other key information so hospital beds can be coordinated more quickly.

< 2 3 4 5 >