Artificial intelligenceNew company will focus on physical AI using data from Japanese companiesSoftBank Corp., Honda Motor, NEC and Sony lead a wide range of Japanese companies that plan to invest in the project. (SoftBank)NATSUKI YAMAMOTO, REI NAKAFUJI and TAKASHI KAWAKAMIJuly 1, 2026 01:21 JSTTOKYO -- Japan will provide up to 1 trillion yen ($6.16 billion) for a group of nine companies including telecom SoftBank Corp. to develop a domestic artificial intelligence foundation model, the government said Tuesday, looking to establish technological sovereignty as the U.S. and China race ahead.