Lister releases physical AI industry comparison report for Japan, US, and China

Lister Inc. has released the ‘Physical AI Industry Comparison Report 2026’, analyzing the technological landscapes and industrial structures of companies in Japan, the United States, and China.

The report compares 669 Japanese companies, 142 American companies, and 180 Chinese companies using standardized technical categories. Across all three nations, approximately 50% of the analyzed companies operate in the ‘Robotics and Field Automation’ sector. Specifically, Japan has 318 companies (47.5%), the US has 68 (47.9%), and China has 92 (51.1%) in this category.

Key findings regarding technical specializations include:

• Recognition, Sensing, and Inspection: Japan leads this category with 174 companies (26.0%), compared to 18 in China (10.0%) and 8 in the US (5.6%). • AI, Software, and Development Platforms: The US shows a higher concentration in this area with 15.5% of its companies, while Japan and China stand at 4.9% and 4.4%, respectively. • Robotics Sub-sectors: In the humanoid and general-purpose robotics field, China has the highest count with 21 companies, followed by the US with 12 and Japan with 6.

The report aims to identify opportunities for Japanese companies to leverage their strengths in components, software, and system integration within the global physical AI market.