A Japanese embodied AI and physical AI startup, Akari, announced on January 29 that it has raised ¥5 billion (approximately $33 million) in funding.
The company is currently selling AI agents designed for digital transformation (DX) across industrial sectors. According to the company, Akari has already achieved profitability. Looking ahead, it plans to develop an operating system that will serve as the “brain” of unmanned and automated factories.
CEO Is an Alum of Matsuo Lab
“Akari” is a Japanese word meaning “light.” The startup has adopted the mission statement, “We are ‘Akari’ that illuminates Japan,” positioning itself as a source of hope for the Japanese economy, which it says has fallen behind GAFAM and other overseas companies.
As noted above, while Akari’s long-term direction is to develop embodied AI and physical AI, the products it has released to date are primarily AI agents designed to reduce the burden on human workers in areas such as documentation and regulatory compliance. Its current lineup includes “Hikari”, an AI agent specialized for the construction industry; “Hakobi” for logistics; “Takumi” for manufacturing; and “Akinai” for wholesale and retail.
At the same time, Akari has taken steps that appear to be related to embodied and physical AI. In August 2025, the company was selected by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) for its “Post-5G Information and Communication System Infrastructure Enhancement R&D Project / Software Development Platform Construction in the Robotics Field.”
Akari participated in this initiative as a member of the Construction RX Consortium, a voluntary organization led mainly by major construction companies to promote robotics transformation. Within the project, Akari is responsible for “basic architecture design for robot software development” and “R&D related to verification screening for safety and quality in virtual environments.”
Akari was founded by Yuki Noro, Representative Director, President, and CEO, who is an alumnus of the Matsuo-Iwasawa Lab at the University of Tokyo. Professor Yutaka Matsuo is widely recognized in Japan as a leading researcher in artificial intelligence and deep learning. The Matsuo Lab is also known for its strong focus on fostering entrepreneurs, with companies such as Gunosy and PKSHA Technology often cited as startups originating from the lab.
Professor Matsuo currently serves as a technical advisor to Akari.
Mitsubishi Electric Participates as an Investor
The latest funding round was backed by Mitsubishi Electric. Akari set its corporate valuation at ¥100 billion (approximately $654 million).
The funds will be used to promote mergers and acquisitions and to accelerate research and development.
Noro, CEO of Akari, commented as follows:
“Since its founding, Akari has continued to grow by maintaining profitability while staying closely aligned with on-site challenges and reinvesting business profits. Through repeated discussions with President Kei Uruma of Mitsubishi Electric, I deeply resonated with the company’s strong determination to shoulder the future of Japan’s industrial sector, as well as with the vision of the future that we can jointly create by working together. By combining Mitsubishi Electric’s overwhelming on-site data with our strengths in AI algorithm development and implementation, we will work as one to build an industrial OS unlike anything else in the world.”
