Latest UK-Japan Business News
I would like to express my sincere gratitude for the generous support in developing Japan-UK relations again in 2025. This year saw significant progress in Japan-UK cooperation toward economic security and sustainable growth.
In the spring, the first Japan-UK Economic 2+2 meeting was held, further strengthening cooperation between our two countries in the field of economic security. In the summer, an aircraft carrier strike group led by HMS Prince of Wales visited Tokyo Bay, demonstrating the UK’s commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. At the Osaka-Kansai Expo, the UK Pavilion welcomed more than 1.24 million visitors, including representatives from the government, academia and industry as well as former Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, the Japanese Imperial Family and the British Royal Family, demonstrating the achievements and future potential of the Japan-UK partnership.
The UK announced a new industrial strategy, identifying eight pillars of growth, including clean energy and advanced manufacturing. Furthermore, the Expand in Japan initiative was launched to promote UK investment in Japan, further accelerating business ties between our two countries.
I sincerely hope that 2026 will further strengthen the ties between Japan and the UK and be a fruitful year for all of you. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Firms to Share Driver Tech
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. and Wayve have signed a collaboration agreement to integrate ProPilot, a next-generation driver assistance system currently under development, into a wide range of vehicles. This partnership will combine Wayve’s embodied AI software with Nissan’s advanced technologies to enable advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and point-to-point automated driving.
In 2016, Nissan first equipped its commercial vehicles with ProPilot, a system that provides driver assistance in single-lane highways. In 2019, it launched ProPilot 2.0, which enables hands-off driving within the same lane and assists drivers on multiple highway lanes. Nissan offers ProPilot and ProPilot 2.0 in a wide range of vehicles to meet customer needs. Building on this track record, Nissan is developing ProPilot, a next-generation driver assistance system incorporating Wayve’s AI technology. In September 2025, Nissan unveiled a development prototype for the next-generation ProPilot, combining Wayve AI Driver, software that applies Wayve’s cutting-edge embodied AI technology to autonomous driving, with Nissan’s Ground Truth Perception technology, which utilizes next-generation LiDAR (light detection and ranging). This prototype vehicle demonstrated smooth and safe driving assistance on highways and complex urban environments.
Nissan will utilize Wayve AI Driver technology to further improve the functionality and convenience of the next-generation ProPilot series and will launch it in global markets, including Japan and North America, to meet the needs of a wide range of customers. Nissan plans to sell its first model equipped with the next-generation ProPilot system, which uses Wayve’s AI, in Japan in fiscal 2027.
This agreement marks an important step forward for both companies. Nissan will be the first automaker to deploy Wayve’s AI system at scale across a wide range of vehicle segments. Designed with safety at its core, Wayve’s end-to-end embodied AI can efficiently adapt to new cities and vehicle platforms with minimal additional development. Furthermore, Wayve’s AI, combined with a diverse sensor configuration, including cameras, radar and LiDAR, from the ProPilot series, will enable intelligent driving across a wide range of vehicles. By incorporating the system into production vehicles, Nissan and Wayve will be able to learn from diverse real-world driving conditions, drive continuous improvement and strengthen the long-term competitiveness of Nissan’s driver assistance technologies.
Japan Firm Invests in UK Wind Power
Tokyo Century Corporation announced that it has acquired a portion of the shares of a special purpose company that operates an onshore wind farm in the UK, which is owned by Equitix, a major UK infrastructure fund. This marks Tokyo Century’s first onshore wind power generation project in the UK, and the company aims to further expand its renewable energy business overseas by leveraging the business management knowledge and network it will gain through this project.
The project consists of four operational wind farms in England and Wales. Each power plant began commercial operation between 2013 and 2015, and is expected to generate stable revenue over the long term through long-term power purchase agreements and electricity sales under the Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROC) scheme.
The UK government has set a target of expanding onshore wind power generation capacity to a maximum of 29GW by 2030, aiming to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. Accordingly, Mitsui Fudosan views the UK as an important market for expanding its renewable energy business.
Suntory Joins UK Consultancy Over Sustainable Agriculture
Suntory Holdings Limited has entered into a partnership with consulting firm Biodiversify to begin full-scale development of an agricultural strategy and roadmap for sustainable raw material procurement. Biodiversify is a UK-based specialist organization that uses a unique approach to scientifically visualize the interactions between agriculture and natural capital. They support the development of strategies, including concrete measures, for a wide range of clients such as companies, governments, local governments and academia. This is the first time Biodiversify has entered into a partnership with a Japanese company.
AI Firm Expands in Oxford
Mind Foundry, an AI company founded at the University of Oxford, has transferred its AI development consulting business to Aioi R&D Lab-Oxford, a UK subsidiary of Aioi Nissay Dowa Insurance Co., Ltd.
As rapid technological innovation and changes in the social environment place increasing importance on the implementation of technologies and solutions, this collaboration will enable Aioi R&D Lab-Oxford to provide integrated support from planning to commercialization, promoting research and development aimed at resolving social and regional issues.
Robotics Seminar
Innovate UK, the government’s research funding agency, will send a delegation of 11 UK companies working on robotics and automation in manufacturing to Japan in January to build a network with key stakeholders for international collaboration on innovative research and development.
There are more than 2,200 robotics companies in the UK, and they are strengthening in areas such as AI-based vision systems and system integration. According to a 2025 UK government report, the UK is ranked first in the world for the quality of robotics research and third in the world for early-stage private investment in robotics.
From among the many applicants, Innovate UK selected companies with particularly remarkable growth potential. Their technology fields include advanced sensors and tactile technologies that enhance robots’ perception and manipulation capabilities, AI-based visual inspection and condition monitoring, precision end effectors and flexible no-code programming, all of which are core technologies for next-generation robotics.
Healthcare Symposium
Harnessing AI and Technology for Innovative Drugs and Therapeutics (hybrid bilingual event)
Feb 17, 4-6pm followed by reception
Life Science Hub West, Midosuji Mitsui Building, 4F, 4-1-3 Bingo-cho, Chuo-ku, Osaka
Free entry
Registration deadline: Feb 13
https://survey.zohopublic.com/zs/tsC2mB