As Japan's labor shortage continues to grow, the nation's mid-sized companies are turning to robots. The robots will automate a variety of tasks in the manufacturing, earthmoving, and hospitality sectors. The labor shortage is a result of a shrinking and aging population, issues that countries like China and South Korea will face in upcoming years.
See "Desperately short of labor, mid-sized Japanese firms plan to buy robots", Stanley White, Reuters, May 15, 2017