A Maholo humanoid robot carries out a series of tasks at the Institute of Science Tokyo's Robotics Innovation Center, during the center's opening last month. Artificial intelligence is transforming the way we work across industries. Two recent developments in Japan show how technology could help the nation cope with a shortage of talent in the fields of science and medical research. Some researchers have launched an effort to deploy AI-powered robots to carry out complex wet-lab experiments, which could free staff from time-consuming, repetitive work. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.

AI models surpassed the highest score recorded for a human test taker in this year's University of Tokyo entrance exam, a new study shows. If an artificial intelligence model such as ChatGPT had taken the entrance exams for Japan's top university in 2026, it would have been assessed as top of the class and admitted for scoring higher than any human test takers, a study by AI startup LifePrompt has found. The research used three major AI models -- ChatGPT 5.2 Thinking by OpenAI, Gemini 3 Pro Preview by Google and Claude Opus 4.5 by Anthropic -- and had them take the actual entrance exam used by the University of Tokyo in February 2026 to assess candidates for courses set to start in April. The university's category 3 science exam, often taken by those who want to enter the institution's medical school, is considered the most difficult exam to pass in Japan. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.

Beijing's insistence that Meta unwind its deal with a Chinese A.I. start-up marks an escalation in the geopolitical fight over advanced tech. TAIPEI - Manus, an artificial intelligence startup, began with an idea among three engineers in Wuhan, China, united by an obsession with AI and a shared ambition to build a global venture. From the outset, they looked beyond China. Their big break came in March last year. Manus had drawn the attention of Silicon Valley investors with an AI agent capable of carrying out tasks on its own.

The company is the world's leading supplier of multilayer ceramic capacitors, essential components for every device that uses electricity because they regulate power flow. Murata Manufacturing has reported fourth-quarter earnings that beat analyst estimates, fueled by robust demand from artificial-intelligence data-center builders. Net income in the three months through March was ¥76.57 billion ($477 million), the Kyoto-based company said Thursday. Analysts had estimated ¥60 billion on average. Revenue was ¥460.62 billion, also better than expected.

Japan's Terra Drone expands investment in Ukraine drone sector A soldier from Ukraine's Taifun unmanned aerial vehicle unit holds a new model Marsianin attack drone on April 7 in Kharkiv region, Ukraine. Tokyo-based Terra Drone is expanding its investment in Ukrainian interceptor drones as it looks to bring battlefield-tested technology back to Japan to tap into a multibillion-dollar defense budget for unmanned systems. On Tuesday, Terra Drone CEO Toru Tokushige said the company was entering a new strategic partnership with Ukraine's WinnyLab to develop fixed-wing interceptor drones. It comes after the company announced in March that it would make an investment in Ukraine's Amazing Drones to develop vertical take-off interceptor drones. "Starting with interceptor drones we are looking for products that are good for increasing the defensive power of Ukraine and also the defensive power of Japan," Tokushige said in an interview.

China races to build record biobank to rival U.S. drugs research Biobanks store masses of biomedical data such as clinical records, genome sequences and other long-term health metrics that research and drug development depend on. As a fledgling researcher in U.S., Zhang Li was struck by the efficiency of extracting human tissue in the morning and mining it for data the same afternoon. Such a streamlined process had been missing from his years of training as a bio data scientist in China. Inspired, he returned home to Beijing to join the Chinese Institute for Brain Research and launch a national database that will collect blood and DNA samples from 33,000 children to help identify patterns of brain disease and their risk factors. "Biomedical data is extremely valuable and is fundamental for us to find solutions to diseases and to delay aging," said Zhang, surrounded by robotic arms carefully organizing blood samples.

Xi tests China's reach by blocking already-done Meta deal The Manus decision comes just weeks before China's Xi Jinping and the U.S. president are scheduled to meet at a high-profile summit. Meta cut the deal for Manus as part of its effort to catch up with rivals such as Alphabet's Google, OpenAI and Anthropic. China has sought for years to exert influence over business deals beyond its home turf. Still, its decision to press Meta Platforms to unwind a $2 billion acquisition of AI startup Manus marks a step unlike anything it's tried before. The country's powerful state planner decreed Monday that the deal must be canceled -- four months after it was sealed.

A humanoid robot performs ground handling tasks at Tokyo's Haneda Airport on Monday. Japan Airlines (JAL) and GMO AI & Robotics, a unit of GMO Internet Group, have announced a demonstration experiment to utilize humanoid robots for ground handling tasks at Tokyo's Haneda Airport. The roughly three-year test will begin next month with the aim of reducing the need for manpower and cutting employee workloads amid a severe labor shortage in the industry. In the test, announced Monday, two robots made in China will carry out tasks such as transporting containers and opening and closing levers that secure them. Future plans include enabling the robots to operate autonomously, thereby expanding the range of tasks they can perform.

A Justice Ministry panel discusses how the voices of individuals should be protected under publicity and portrait rights, amid a rise in the unauthorized use of celebrities' voices by generative artificial intelligence, at the ministry in Tokyo on Friday. An expert panel under the Justice Ministry has agreed that the voices of individuals should be protected under publicity and portrait rights, amid a rise in the unauthorized use of celebrities' voices by generative artificial intelligence. The agreement was made Friday, during the first meeting of the panel on civil compensation claims related to the unauthorized use of celebrities' images and voices by generative AI. The ministry is set to compile guidelines on the scope and standards for illegal acts under current law by this summer. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.

Andon Market in San Francisco represents a vision, however flawed, of a future when more sophisticated AI agents take over work traditionally done by humans. In San Francisco's upscale Cow Hollow district, the introduction of a boutique selling coffee table games, tote bags and other household items would be pretty unremarkable. However, Andon Market has one key differentiator: It's run by AI. At this store, an artificial intelligence agent named Luna effectively acts as the chief executive officer of the operation. It decides what products to offer and how much to charge for them.