Regional guide · reviewed 2026-08-21
AI Models Built in Japan: PLaMo, tsuzumi, Rakuten AI and More
Japan’s current index spans Japanese-first enterprise models, open bilingual releases and research-led AI systems from established companies and specialist labs.
5 current models
Japanese-language fit, deployment control and model licensing are important differentiators. Confirm the exact product version and commercial terms with the linked first-party source.
01Sakana AI
A Tokyo research lab exploring efficient, nature-inspired and agentic AI systems.
02PLaMo
A Japanese foundation-model family built for strong local-language performance and enterprise deployment options.
03tsuzumi
NTT's lightweight Japanese language-model family for efficient enterprise customization and deployment.
04Rakuten AI
Rakuten's Japanese-English open model family, including compact releases for local developer use.
05ELYZA
A Japanese language-model company releasing open models and enterprise solutions for local-language workflows.