【By Chen Yan, Observer Columnist】
Before the interview for the 8th China International Import Expo in 2025 (November 5-10), I reviewed my previous reports from the seven previous expos and kept thinking about which aspect to explore regarding the new features of Japanese companies participating in this year's expo.
Author's photo, same below
On the 6th, I attended the press conference hosted by the China-Japan Chamber of Commerce. At the conference, 13 Japanese companies introduced their exhibits. Mr. Tetsuro Honma, the president, said in his opening remarks: "This year, a total of 320 Japanese companies are participating, covering areas such as automobiles, energy, chemicals and materials, motors and electronic components, games and content, food and beverages, cosmetics, as well as banking and insurance." This shows that the China International Import Expo is an important platform for Japanese companies to showcase their strategies and find business partners in the Chinese market.
On the afternoon of the 6th, the "Investing in China · Sino-Japanese Advanced Technology Matching Session" was held by the Ministry of Commerce, with the China-Japan Chamber of Commerce, Japan External Trade Organization, and Japan-China Investment Promotion Organization among others participating. More than 100 Chinese and Japanese companies gathered with nearly 200 people to discuss ways, challenges, and solutions for cooperation between China and Japan in industries such as intelligent robots and health care.
At the meeting, Yu Zirong, vice director of the Investment Promotion Bureau of the Ministry of Commerce, shared a data that may differ from many people's current perception during his opening speech:
"In January-September 2025, investment from Japan to China increased by 55.5% compared to the same period last year."
As he said, there still exists great complementary space between China and Japan in economic and technological advantages.
In recent years, the AI craze has swept across, and this article will focus on AI, looking at what new products and services Japanese companies have promoted to the Chinese market during the 8th China International Import Expo, as well as the changes in Sino-Japanese trade and economy with the continuous advancement of Sino-Japanese economic exchanges.
AI for Daily Life: From Smart Homes to Health Protection
I originally thought that AI was more popular online, but it was still far from our daily lives. However, after seeing the exhibition content at the expo, I realized that Japanese companies' AI for daily life has already been deeply integrated into our daily lives, and will become more widespread in the future.
At the 2025 China International Import Expo, Brother Industries exhibited two AI sewing machines: the computerized embroidery and sewing machine and the computerized embroidery machine. Among them, the computerized embroidery and sewing machine integrates AI technology and various practical functions, automatically converting user-transmitted images or photos into embroidery data, and can generate 10 different styles of embroidery effects such as pencil stitching. The computerized embroidery machine can automatically convert photos and illustrations into embroidery data and perform embroidery on non-flat items, making creative expression more flexible and diverse.
At the expo, people could also see a series of smart products provided by Panasonic. For example, the four-cylinder full heat pump washing, drying and protection machine can automatically match washing and protection plans through its AI fabric recognition system, distinguishing 20 types of materials such as wool and silk. In addition, the AI kitchen appliance set can recognize ingredients through a camera, link to a cloud database to generate nutritional recipes, and even adjust cooking methods according to users' health data.
In the medical and health field, Hitachi presented a medical laboratory automation solution. This solution can automatically analyze medical samples, reduce human errors, help laboratories optimize processes, and improve lean management. Through automated testing processes and accurate data analysis, it can quickly and accurately provide test results, providing strong support for doctors' diagnosis and treatment, applicable to various medical testing scenarios such as blood tests and biochemical tests.
Next to the exhibition area of the medical laboratory automation solution, Hitachi also displayed a chronic disease risk prediction model. This model helps extend healthy life expectancy and reduce overall medical costs by predicting and intervening in early disease risks. It can predict the risk of various chronic diseases, including primary hypertension and type 2 diabetes. By analyzing large amounts of medical data and using AI algorithms, the model can identify potential risks of chronic diseases in individuals, providing evidence for early intervention for doctors and patients, thereby effectively preventing and controlling the occurrence and development of chronic diseases, contributing to the improvement of quality of life for people of all income levels.
City AI: Intelligent Innovation in Information and Transportation
The development of AI relies on communication technology. At the expo, Sumitomo Electric exhibited its latest products in the field of communications, including fiber optic splicers, high-density optical cables, and ultra-low-loss fibers. Hiroyuki Kobayashi, executive director of Sumitomo Electric and deputy head of the social systems division, told me: "We brought our latest products to the expo, and many of them were launched in China for the first time."
At Sumitomo Electric's booth, there was a high-precision fiber core alignment fiber optic splicer, which is an industry-leading splicer with high adaptability, capable of achieving 5-second rapid splicing and 9-second high-speed heating. In addition, the smart ribbon fiber optic splicer also attracted attention, which has efficient splicing capabilities and can precisely splice ribbon fibers, especially suitable for large-scale fiber cabling scenarios, effectively improving the efficiency and quality of fiber splicing, providing strong support for the construction and maintenance of communication networks.
"Optical cables used in data centers need to achieve high-speed, large-capacity data transmission within limited space, and our high-density optical cables play a role in this aspect," said Mr. Kobayashi. According to his introduction, the high-density optical cables exhibited by Sumitomo Electric can meet the needs of modern communication networks for large-capacity data transmission, and can be widely applied in data centers, communication base stations, and other scenarios, effectively improving the transmission efficiency and stability of communication networks.
In the field of smart cities, Hitachi exhibited an intelligent railway operation system. This is a new generation of digital asset management platform, which can integrate diverse data, combining the massive real-time data of trains and surrounding railway infrastructure into a unified platform, covering data such as track health status, train quality, overhead line conditions, and vegetation. The platform has powerful edge computing capabilities, which can process massive data in real time on the train or infrastructure side, and only transmit key information to the operations control center, thus significantly improving the response speed of transport operators in obtaining actionable insights.
Industrial AI: From Millimeter-Level Detection to Full-Process Intelligence
At this year's China International Import Expo, Japanese companies exhibited more AI products related to industrial manufacturing.
At Mitsubishi Electric's booth, the "AI Quality Inspection Production Line" attracted many manufacturers to stop and watch. It consists of four industrial robots integrated with AI vision systems, realizing the entire process of intelligent production from defect identification to precise execution. Mr. Yasuhiro Fujii, vice president of Mitsubishi Electric, proudly told me: "We have decades of manufacturing experience, and when combined with AI, it has elevated the concept and usage of industrial robots to a new stage."
Different from many domestic companies focusing their R&D direction on humanoid robots, Japanese companies like Mitsubishi Electric are still exploring how to make robots play new roles on the production line. They are focused on developing technologies that use AI vision systems to capture 0.01 mm level defects and precisely detect electronic components at a frequency of 120 times per minute, and they showcased their latest achievements at the expo.
Mitsubishi Electric "AI Quality Inspection Production Line"
Ashai Chemical exhibited industrial products related to AI and IT at the 2025 China International Import Expo. Among them, the antenna-integrated millimeter-wave radar module integrates the radar IC and antenna into a compact module, which is a contactless sensor that protects privacy and can replace cameras. This module can be widely applied in home appliances, residential equipment, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and can protect privacy in private spaces such as bedrooms and bathrooms while providing 24-hour monitoring for the elderly and infants. Its application scenarios include detecting the actions and conditions of elderly people living alone, identifying abnormal intrusions, and non-contact heart rate and breathing detection. Ashai Chemical's photosensitive dry film is a new product for advanced semiconductor packaging processes such as AI servers.
The Surge of Japanese Companies Participating in the Expo: Increasing Investment in China and New Mechanisms for Collaboration with Chinese Enterprises
Contrary to the public opinion created by foreign media, especially Japanese media, that foreign companies (Japanese companies) are retreating from China in large numbers, investment from Japan to China in 2025 is growing rapidly. This investment is mainly concentrated in the Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta regions, where the new energy vehicle industry chain accounts for 41%, smart manufacturing for 28%, and healthcare for 19%. This investment focus aligns with China's demand for industrial upgrading and provides Japanese companies with a vast market for their technology.
Japanese companies vigorously promoting their AI-related technologies, products, and services at the expo also aligns with the demand for investment in China, maintaining a win-win situation in Sino-Japanese economic exchanges.
It can be said that this expo, with the largest number of Japanese companies participating, not only continues the advantage of Japanese companies maintaining the first or second position in participation scale in previous expos, but also becomes the "frontline" for Japanese AI technology to accelerate its landing in the Chinese market.
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