KOTRA teams up with Nikkei to accelerate Korean AI firms' push into Japan

KOTRA has joined forces with Japan's Nikkei Inc. to help Korean AI companies break into the Japanese market. The initiative aims to expand opportunities for proof-of-concept projects and investment cooperation between innovators from both countries, as demand for AI and robotics solutions grows in Japan amid its aging population, labor shortages and regional revitalization challenges.

The Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) said Sunday it hosted the "Korea-Japan AI Open Innovation Cooperation Day" at its Seoul headquarters on Friday, welcoming an AI business delegation organized by Nikkei.

The event was organized against the backdrop of growing demand for Korea-Japan economic cooperation. Fourteen Japanese technology companies visited Korea for the occasion — including five winners of Nikkei's startup and new-business discovery program "Nikkei The Pitch" — and held pitching sessions and one-on-one consultations with Korean AI firms.

"Nikkei The Pitch" is a program Nikkei launched in 2024 to identify and support startups, business-succession companies, next-generation ventures and social enterprises in Japan. It connects innovative companies at home and abroad through pitching contests and networking events.

KOTRA and Nikkei jointly organized the event to promote technology cooperation and open innovation between companies from the two countries in response to global supply chain realignment and the spread of AI transformation. KOTRA said demand is growing — particularly among Japanese companies and local governments — for partnerships with Korean advanced technology firms to address social challenges such as aging, regional depopulation and labor shortages.

Japan is already moving quickly to deploy AI and robotics to tackle these social problems. This year, the country's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry unveiled its AI robotics strategy and a roadmap for social implementation, identifying robot adoption in industrial settings and among regional small and medium-sized enterprises, talent development and the expansion of open innovation as key priorities.

For Korean AI companies, another draw is access to the network of Nikkei, one of Japan's largest media groups. The connections go beyond simple consultations, potentially leading to corporate partnerships, proof-of-concept projects, investment attraction and local marketing in Japan.

The pitching session on Friday featured five companies from each side, for a total of 10. From Korea, Caflix, Geogrid, Team Sparta, JL Standard and HiLocal presented their AI solutions and business models. From Japan, Kamameshi, Mercari Shurink, AOI Bioscience, Higuchi Electron and TrueCamera introduced their technologies and cooperation needs.

AI technology also powered the event itself. HiLocal, an AI-based real-time interpretation solution company, not only participated as a pitcher but also provided its interpretation solution throughout the event, helping both sides reduce language barriers during presentations, consultations, Q&A sessions and note-taking.

JL Standard, an AI digital human solution company, showcased an AI memorial service. A company official said interest from the Japanese side was strong in its AI digital twin technology, which uses photos and voice data of the deceased, given Japan's status as a super-aged society. "We are already advancing into the Japanese market — including signing an MOU with a Japanese funeral company last year — and we expect this event to accelerate follow-up business cooperation talks with Japanese firms," the official said.

KOTRA plans to build on the cooperation demand identified at the event to produce concrete outcomes in PoC projects, technology cooperation, investment and partnerships between companies from the two countries. It also intends to mark the 150th anniversary of Nikkei's founding by staging a large-scale three-day cooperation program in Japan in November, and to regularize exchanges by dispatching a Korean AI delegation to Japan in November to follow up on Friday's visiting Japanese AI delegation.

KOTRA also plans to hold a large-scale cooperation event in Tokyo in November to connect Korean AI innovators with Japanese companies and investors. The networking event will bring together 40 Korean AI innovators and around 100 Japanese participants — including large corporations, small and medium-sized enterprises and venture capital firms — with the goal of supporting Korean AI companies' entry into the Japanese market and their efforts to secure partnerships.

Kim Myung-hee, KOTRA executive vice president and head of the Industrial Innovation Division, said AI and robotics represent a prime area where Japanese companies, the central government and local authorities want to cooperate with Korea to address aging and labor shortages. "We will expand cooperation with major media groups like Nikkei to actively support our AI companies in seizing opportunities for proof-of-concept projects, trade and investment, and technology cooperation in Japan," she said.