Robotics seen drawing venture capitalists back to Japan

Tokyo

VENTURE capitalists who have long avoided investing in Japan may think again as startups in the country develop a new generation of robot technology, according to consultant Koichi Hori.

While Japan has little chance of catching up to the US in digital media, the next phase of technological innovation will be in robotics with artificial intelligence, said Mr Hori, who headed Boston Consulting Group Inc's Japan office before founding Dream Incubator Inc in 2000. That plays to Japan's strengths in engineering, he said.