Japan's Generative AI Adoption Trails Behind Major Nations, Survey Reveals

According to a survey released by Japan's communications ministry, there is a significantly smaller number of individuals and businesses in Japan utilizing generative artificial intelligence compared to their counterparts in the United States, China, and Germany. Conducted between January and February, this survey was part of the ministry's Information and Communications White Paper 2025 and included responses from 2,590 individuals aged 20 to 69, along with 1,442 corporate executives.

Among the Japanese respondents, only 26.7% reported having used generative AI services. While this figure reflects an increase from 9.1% the previous year, it remains substantially lower than the adoption rates seen in China (81.2%), the United States (68.8%), and Germany (59.2%). The primary reasons that Japanese individuals provided for not engaging with AI included a prevailing sentiment that it was "not necessary" in their daily lives or employment circumstances, expressed by 40.4% of respondents, and a significant portion, 38.6%, indicating that they did not know how to utilize the technology.

In terms of corporate usage, while more than 90% of companies in the United States, China, and Germany reported integrating generative AI into their operations, Japan's figure lingered much lower at just 55.2%. Furthermore, when Japanese companies evaluated the impact of generative AI on their businesses, nearly 30% claimed it had "no particular impact," a stark contrast to the less than 10% of companies in the other surveyed countries with a similar perception.