Japan's Shipbuilding Industry Turns to AI Agents and Automation to Tackle Labor Shortage

Japan's shipbuilding industry, once a global leader, is now grappling with a shrinking population, a generational skills gap and labor shortages across its supply chain. The government has also set a target of doubling shipbuilding output, while the industry-wide workforce shortfall is estimated at 12,000. Imabari in Ehime Prefecture accounts for about 20% of Japan's shipbuilding output, making its ability to fill the gap with AI and foreign workers critical to the competitiveness of the country's maritime and manufacturing sectors.

Since summer 2025, University of Tokyo startup Noahlogy has been piloting an AI agent with Imabari Shipbuilding and Asakawa Shipbuilding to automate regulatory compliance reviews of design drawings. Imabari has brought in Sunabaco to train workers since 2023, and more than 40 people attended a workshop in February 2026. The shipbuilding industry employed 14,000 foreign workers in 2025, while Kurofune and Global Trust Networks also provided management and multilingual services. Investment figures were not disclosed.