It’s always been fascinating to look back at classic media that painted a far-flung future where humanoid robots have become more integrated into society.
Films such as I, Robot, Blade Runner and Ex Machina are just a few examples of media that showcase human-like robots, revealing their emotional depth and how they’re increasingly relied upon by their creators. Japan, in particular, has enacted a grand plan to produce a vast number of humanoid robots to boost its economy and fill roles across myriad industries.
And with a massive company already being entrusted with tackling this lofty goal, it looks and sounds like they’ll be able to see that mission to completion.
Here are further details on Japan’s push to produce and deploy millions of humanoid robots, which job sectors they’re expected to be injected into and a few other countries that are also looking to invest heavily in humanoid robots.
Japan and several other countries are backing efforts to produce and deploy humanoid robotics
During a news conference held by Ryosei Akazawa, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan, he announced his country’s ambitious plans to widen its implementation of humanoid robots.
The Japanese government has set a goal to produce and deploy approximately 10 million humanoid robots nationwide by 2040. To combat the challenges of an aging population and a shrinking workforce, Japan plans to strategically integrate these robots across 18 specific job sectors, including eldercare, food manufacturing, and disaster response. Beyond addressing workforce shortages, this initiative aims to make physical AI a normalized, widespread part of society.
The mass development of these robots has been entrusted to Noetra, a joint venture established by parent companies SoftBank, NEC, Sony Group, and Honda. To accelerate this rollout, the government will establish AI robotics core centers, which will serve as hubs for research and development, talent cultivation, and corporate integration support.
Japan is leveraging accumulated data to highlight its competitive global advantage in four key areas: eldercare, disaster response, manufacturing, and the decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. By deploying humanoid robots across the country, Japan aims to maintain its edge in these critical sectors and drive a localized AI transformation across its many regions.
Japan isn’t the only country making a concerted effort to deploy humanoid robots across various industries. China is targeting a national goal of deploying 10,000 robots into commercial use by the end of 2026 and having them fulfill the roles associated with 100-real world scenarios. Those scenarios include manufacturing, warehousing, elder care and more. South Korea has invested in robotics via government programs and companies such as Hyundai Motor Group—that business announced plans at the beginning of 2026 to deploy humanoid robots at its U.S. manufacturing plant starting in 2028.
Plus the likes of Singapore, the United Arab Emirates and Germany are researching and investing in efforts to deploy humanoid robots across physical labor industries.
Bottom line
AI isn’t just relegated to your average, everyday chatbot — it also applies to physical products such as humanoid robots, which are getting a stronger focus by numerous nations that are looking to offset their respective labor shortages and expand their limits beyond robotics research and manufacturing.
It’s clearly evident that in the next 10-20 years, we may be treated to a future-proof society where humanoid robots will be seen caring for our senior citizens, working in retail positions, mining for precious resources and more.
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