Sompo, NTT Partner to Deploy Physical AI in Japan Nursing Care
Tokyo -- Sompo Holdings and NTT signed a partnership agreement on November 11, 2026 to bring physical AI into Japan's nursing care sector, starting with indirect tasks such as cleaning, laundry, meal handling and item transport.
Partners target labor shortages in a super-aging Japan
The agreement responds to a shortage of frontline nursing care workers that the companies say is already a social issue and will intensify as Japan ages. Sompo Holdings (Group CEO Mikio Okumura) and NTT (President and CEO Akira Shimada) define physical AI as cameras, sensors, robots and the systems connecting them. The technology perceives physical space and carries out tasks through equipment such as robots.
The companies say deployment requires more than technology development. It also needs integrated preparation covering data, operational design, operations, maintenance and security for stable everyday use.