Tokyo, Japan – Beneath the business towers of Tokyo’s Otemachi district, a test is underway to see whether artificial intelligence can help solve one of Japan’s biggest economic challenges: a shrinking workforce.
Marunouchi Heat Supply Company operates a 30km network of heating and cooling pipelines serving offices and commercial buildings. The company is now using AI to manage this complex infrastructure, aiming for more automated operations by 2027.
Developed with Tokyo-based Preferred Networks, the project uses PlantPilot, an AI system trained on historical operating data and the expertise of experienced engineers. It analyzes sensor information and predicts future conditions to improve efficiency while preserving technical knowledge.
For Japan, the world’s most rapidly aging society, the project represents more than an infrastructure upgrade. It reflects a broader response to a demographic crisis reshaping the world’s third-largest economy.
“Our biggest challenge is securing skilled personnel,” said Hidetaka Yagi, assistant general manager at Marunouchi. “As experienced workers retire, we risk losing valuable operational knowledge. AI can help preserve that expertise and pass it on to the next generation.”
Japan’s aging population has created labor shortages across industries. Unlike concerns in some countries that automation will replace workers, Japan is positioning AI as a partner to extend human capabilities.
However, Japan’s AI challenge goes beyond improving existing systems. The country is also seeking to rebuild its position in a global technology race where it has struggled to keep pace with the US and China.
Japan has only about eight unicorn startups, compared to 690 in the US and 160 in China. Sakana AI, one of Japan’s most watched AI startups, aims to change that. Chairman Ren Ito said: “If we try to compete with American companies in exactly the same way, we will not succeed. Japan needs to develop different ideas and create new approaches to innovation.”
The Japanese government is placing AI at the center of its economic strategy, planning to mobilize about 370 trillion yen ($2.3 trillion) in public and private investment by 2040. But investment alone may not be enough to restore Japan’s technological influence.
Source: www.aljazeera.com