Japan is a leading country in the field of industrial robots, with robots having been introduced in plants in the country early on and contributing to productivity improvements in the manufacturing industry. In recent years, expectations related to service robots have been increasing in the fields of nursing care, medical care, food service, construction, etc., where labor shortages are becoming more and more serious.
Robots are a fusion of AI technologies and mechanical technologies, which are areas in which Japan has strengths, and with their expected growth in demand, they could be one of the most important fields in Japan’s national industrial policy. The national government adopted the New Robot Strategy ten years ago, and its growth strategies have emphasized the development of robots in the service field almost every year since then. This year's Basic Policy on Economic and Fiscal Management and Reform states that a strategy will be formulated concerning robots as a key application area for AI and advanced semiconductors.
Various service automation technologies have long been in use in Japan including automatic vending machines, automatic ticket gates, etc. and they have contributed to labor saving and productivity improvements. Recently, the introduction of self-checkout machines has also been spreading rapidly. While consumer acceptance is necessary for the further dissemination of self-checkout machines, surprisingly, many people prefer self-checkout machines to manned registers, especially among young people.
Recently, the development of humanoid bipedal robots has been attracting attention; however, developing versatile robots that can handle diverse, nonroutine work in the same manner as human beings is technically difficult. At present, single-function service robots focused on a specific task are most common, and this situation will continue for the time being.
In the Robot Award, which was launched in 2006, winners have mostly been robots that perform a specific task in such fields as logistics, nursing care, medical care, food industry, cleaning, and security service. According to the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) annual report, the global sales volume of these dedicated service robots increased by 30% from the previous year and is estimated to achieve an annual increase of 41% in the coming three years.
Economic research concerning automation technology is progressing rapidly. Empirical studies using data on industrial robots from the IFR are being conducted in various countries around the world, and excellent research using data from the Japan Robot Association have also been carried out, much of which demonstrate productivity-enhancing effects. However, due to data limitations, research targeting service robots has been surprisingly scarce.
A study by Professor Toshiaki Iizuka of the University of Tokyo, et al. which analyzed how the introduction of nursing-care robots affects productivity and employment is a rare example of this research. According to the study, three-quarters of nursing-care facilities in Japan have introduced robots for monitoring, mobility, or transportation, which has enhanced the quality of their nursing care services and improved productivity, ultimately leading to better staff retention.
What therefore are the overall economic effects of using service robots? According to the author's survey, workplaces using service robots account for approximately 4%, a much smaller proportion than workplaces using industrial robots, but service robots are being used in a broader range of industries. The effects of introducing service robots vary widely, but their labor-saving effect is approximately 20% on average.
Interestingly, companies with labor unions are more likely to adopt service robots. Workplaces that utilize AI and robots tend to have more flexible work styles, such as flextime and telework. If service robots become more common in workplaces and for a broader range of work, this will bring various benefits to the Japanese economy, which is currently struggling with labor shortages.
>> Original text in Japanese
* Translated by RIETI.
August 8, 2025 - Published in Nihon Keizai Shimbun's "Economist 360° Perspective"
