Japanese companies are expanding cooperation with global big tech to secure competitiveness in artificial intelligence (AI).

On April 24 local time, blockchain outlet Cryptopolitan reported that Station Ai, Japan's largest startup hub, is pushing an "AI Boost Program" with SoftBank and Nvidia to support five startups.

The startups are manufacturing AI startup Ollo, enterprise AI developer Karakuri, healthcare startup Cross Medicine, generative AI platform company Final Aim and computer motion analysis company Playbox. The program, which began in September 2025, focuses on lowering structural barriers faced by Japanese AI startups. It provides SoftBank's high-performance GPU systems for free and offers support from Nvidia engineers, business development for demonstration projects and introductions to investors.

Japan's late start in AI is creating room to move directly to the latest generative AI. Masafumi Asakura (아사쿠라 마사후미), co-founder and CEO of Final Aim, said he will use GPU resources to advance generative AI technology and reduce intellectual property risks. Nvidia also pledged investment in Japan's robotics sector. In October last year, it began building full-stack AI infrastructure with Fujitsu to strengthen competitiveness.

Microsoft (MS) has also committed large-scale funding. In early April, MS announced it would invest 1.6 trillion yen in Japan from 2026 to 2029. Japan has the world's fourth-largest economy, but the number of AI companies stands at 251, based on market information provider Tracxn. Of these, 93 are startups. The gap is large compared with about 30,000 in the United States, about 5,000 in China and 1,500 in Germany.

In this situation, Japan's startup culture is also cited as a variable affecting the speed of AI adoption. Sam Giotti (샘 기오티), founder and CEO of Habitto, said at Japan FinTech Week 2026 that the United States puts emphasis on speed to gain an early lead, while Japan places greater emphasis on accuracy. Shin Sakane (사카네 신), co-CEO of Tradom, explained that Japan's regulators, large companies and startups value system completeness and reliability, and compliance, and aim for 100 percent or 120 percent completeness from the start.

Japanese companies are shifting from independent development to collaboration. SoftBank, NEC, Honda and Sony Group announced on April 12 that they would set up a jointly operated company called Japan AI Foundation Model Development. The company will be run based on about 100 senior AI engineers scattered across SoftBank, NEC, Honda and Sony Group. Each company will hold a 10 percent stake, and Nippon Steel, MUFG, SMBC and Mizuho will participate as minority investors.

The government is also moving in step. Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry plans to invest 1 trillion yen over five years from fiscal 2026 to support development of a foundation model with 1 trillion parameters. The funds will be used for computing infrastructure, research cooperation and workforce training.