In a robotics lab in Tokyo, engineers hold their breath as a humanoid machine lifts a mannequin from a bed. The test, repeated hundreds of times over weeks, has yielded mixed results. This scene captures the state of care robotics in Japan: promising, but far from ready for the messy realities of human care.
Japan, with one of the world's oldest populations and a strained healthcare workforce, has long been the global leader in developing and deploying care robots. Government initiatives like Society 5.0 and Moonshot envision a "super-smart" society by 2050 where robots are integrated into daily life. An early example is the upcoming trial of humanoid baggage handlers at Tokyo's Haneda airport.
My research, conducted under a Wellcome fellowship, examines what the introduction of robots means for care in Japan. This includes ethical and societal questions about affordability, privacy risks, data management, and safety—and what the Japanese public thinks about these technologies.
The gap between lab and life
Many robots I observed were tested in carefully controlled environments: floors cleared, lighting adjusted, engineers ready to intervene. In some cases, the robots' actions were partly or entirely controlled remotely. Real care settings, however, are busy, unpredictable, and crowded. People move suddenly; needs change moment to moment. Technologies that work well in labs still struggle in these environments.
Carers can notice changes in patient mood and adjust how they speak. They offer comfort without being asked. These are uniquely human skills. As one family caregiver put it: "The promise of robotic care is practical, but the experience of care is emotional—that's where the tension lies."
Some family carers and professional careworkers welcomed robotic assistance, especially for physically demanding tasks like lifting. Others worried that too much reliance on machines could make care feel impersonal. "To some older adults, these technologies are helpful tools," said one careworker. "To others, they feel confusing, frustrating—a glimpse of a future they never asked for."
Such perspectives are often missing from media narratives that focus on robot success stories. In Japan, these are shaped by government strategies and economic priorities. Innovation, never neutral, reflects political agendas about how society should respond to aging and labor shortages. This dynamic is also evident in other areas of Japanese policy, such as Japan's ammonia co-firing plan, which risks prolonging Indonesia's coal dependence.
The challenges societies face over care are not only technical but social, ethical, and cultural. They raise questions about what care should be, how it is valued, and what kind of future we want. "Among families and caregivers, hope and hesitation sit side by side," a technology developer told me. "Efficiency is often welcome, but not at the cost of losing the human touch."
Competition and limits
While Japan has been successful in exporting socially assistive robots like Paro (a therapeutic robot resembling a baby seal) and the humanoid Pepper, China is rapidly expanding the market with more affordable, mass-produced technologies and humanoid innovation. Yet we are still a long way from the vision of care robots feeding, washing, and otherwise supporting people as human carers do every day. Participants in my research, including technology developers, all agreed that robots should never fully replace human carers.
Technologies that assist with lifting, mobility, and routine monitoring are the most likely to become widely used and ethically accepted. In these areas, robots can complement human care rather than try to replace it. Care is, at its core, a deeply human activity, not just a series of programmable tasks. It relies on relationships, trust, and mutual understanding. Robots may support these processes, but they cannot replace them.
Additionally, some technologies are likely to remain expensive, available mainly to well-funded care homes or private users. This raises issues about access to good-quality care. As Japan continues its defense shift, the country's approach to care robotics also reflects broader priorities about how to allocate resources and shape society.
Care robot developments in Japan show what can be achieved through sustained investment and political support. But they also shed light on the large amount of work needed to ensure responsible research and innovation practices. The real question is not just what robots can do. It is what kind of care we want in the future—and how technology can support it without deepening inequalities, limiting access to good-quality care, and losing the power of human touch.
