English 
On December 10, 2025, NTT Advanced Technology Corporation (NTT-AT) and NTT Data Hokkaido launched a new AI agent trial in Sapporo City. This project aims to automate and simplify travel expense processes. The project uses generative AI and robotic process automation (RPA) tools. This cuts down on manual work, boosts accuracy, and helps digital transformation in public sector operations.
This initiative will start in late November 2025 and end on March 31, 2026. Results should help promote the use of advanced AI tools in government and businesses.
What the Field Trial Involves
The trial brings together three key technologies:
- RelAi™ Knowledge Assistant — NTT-AT’s generative AI service designed to turn unstructured documents into actionable knowledge.
- WinActor® — A domestic RPA tool widely used in Japan to automate routine workflows.
- Dialogue-based interface — Users interact with the AI agent in natural conversational form to generate travel itineraries, verify regulations, and perform calculations.
By integrating RelAi and WinActor into a coordinated AI agent environment, the system can assist city staff in drafting itineraries, calculating expenses, checking policy compliance, and inputting data into financial systems automatically. The goal is to shorten processing time, minimize errors, and lighten administrative burden, particularly for departments with low travel frequency that struggle to maintain expertise.
What is Driving Digital Transformation in Japan’s Public Sector
Japan’s public administration has been under increasing pressure to adopt digital technologies to improve service delivery, drive efficiency, and better serve citizens. This practical trial represents a significant step toward bringing AI-assisted automation into government operations, an area that historically trails behind private sector adoption.
By enabling dialogue-based AI agents to complement traditional RPA tools, NTT-AT and NTT Data Hokkaido are helping public institutions overcome two persistent challenges:
- Knowledge Retention — Complex administrative rules are difficult to encode in standard automation logic; generative AI can absorb and interpret these rules from documents and conversation.
- User Accessibility — City staff no longer need deep technical expertise to use advanced systems; conversational interfaces make AI tools more approachable.
This trial also positions Japan as a leader in practical AI application for civic digital transformation, an area of growing interest among OECD countries as governments seek to modernize operations sustainably.
How Will it Impact the Japan’s Tech Industry
The launch of this AI agent field trial has broader implications for Japan’s tech ecosystem:
1. Acceleration of AI Adoption in Government and SMBs
If it succeeds, the study will prompt government agencies and small to medium businesses to invest in AI tools. This will help automate routine tasks. This could lead to a strong demand for AI service providers, consultants, and systems integrators. They can tailor solutions to meet specific operational needs.
Japanese city governments see real benefits in Sapporo. So, similar efforts may grow across the country. This creates new chances for tech companies that focus on enterprise AI and workflow automation.
2. Strengthening Domestic AI Tool Ecosystems
NTT-AT’s RelAi platform and Japan’s homegrown WinActor RPA software illustrate the value of locally developed AI and automation technologies. Using domestic tools can ease compliance with Japan’s strict data privacy and regulatory standards, which is a strategic advantage for public institutions hesitant to rely on foreign cloud-based AI services.
This trial reinforces Japan’s effort to cultivate indigenous AI technologies that are trusted, localized, and suited to Japanese language and regulatory needs, an important factor as competition intensifies with global AI providers.
3. Boosting AI-Driven Workforce Productivity
The integration of AI agents into daily administrative tasks could significantly reduce the labor burden on staff, allowing them to focus on higher-value work. Businesses operating in Japan’s tech sector, especially those offering AI consulting, training, and support, can expect increased demand for their services.
AI-driven automation also aligns with broader industry trends where companies look to augment human labor with intelligent systems to address workforce shortages and improve operational resilience.
What is the Future Outlook: From Public Sector to Enterprise
While the current focus is on government travel expense processing, the underlying technology stack, combining generative AI and RPA, has far-reaching potential across sectors such as insurance claims processing, customer service automation, compliance workflows, and finance operations.
Successful outcomes from the Sapporo trial may lead to:
- Commercial productization of AI-RPA hybrids for corporate customers
- Partnerships between NTT-AT and enterprise clients seeking digital transformation
- Expansion into other industries such as healthcare, logistics, and education
In the mid to long term, this trial could become a benchmark for AI-assisted workflow automation in Japan, demonstrating how generative AI and automation can be effectively leveraged to reduce costs, improve accuracy, and enhance user experiences.
結論
NTT-AT’s collaboration with NTT Data Hokkaido to deploy AI agents in Sapporo marks a meaningful advancement in Japan’s digital transformation journey. By implementing AI-driven automation in real administrative contexts, this initiative not only supports public sector efficiency but also drives broader tech innovation across industries.
As the trial unfolds, businesses across Japan’s technology sector should monitor its progress closely, the outcomes may shape future investments in AI solutions and establish new standards for productivity and digital services in the years ahead.
日本語