The top executive of a leading Japanese artificial intelligence startup said the Japanese government should focus more on the development of its own AI technology for defense applications in an increasingly deglobalized world.
David Ha, the chief executive of Sakana AI K.K., backed by investors such as U.S. chip giant Nvidia Corp., said his company sees growth potential in working with the Japanese government in the defense sector since the country's security environment is becoming severe with "many adversaries around its neighbors."
"Not many startups in Japan want to work in (the) defense side and (with) governments," Ha said at a recent press conference at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan.
Sakana AI K.K. CEO David Ha attends a press conference at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan in Tokyo on May 13, 2025. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
It presents "an opportunity for our company to engage with the governments on developing defense-related solutions using AI," said the CEO at the Tokyo-based startup known as a unicorn -- an unlisted company valued at more than $1 billion.
Technology plays a key role in bolstering information technology infrastructure, and AI is a core part of such technology to make information systems and cyber security more secured and efficient, the former researcher at Google LLC said.
Since the United States has become more U.S.-centric, there is a potential for AI to become "a bargaining chip for other countries," if its services and models are so powerful, Ha said.
Japan's Defense Ministry has been exploring greater use of AI in the defense sector, outlining its basic policy last year on fields such as detection and identification of military targets, command and control, and logistic support.
But the policy stated there are limits to AI, particularly in situations without precedents, as AI learns from past data, and concerns over credibility and misuse remain as well.
Sakana AI, established by Ha and two other co-founders in 2023, was awarded in March at a competition for defense innovation co-sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense's Defense Innovation Unit and Japan's Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency, by presenting a system to predict pandemics and a system to detect AI-generated images.
The name "Sakana" means "fish" in Japanese. The company's logo reflects its concept of using collective intelligence made of many small intelligences for their AI development by drawing inspiration from nature, like how small fish form a huge group.
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