Japan has long portrayed robots in popular culture , paving the way for the country 's robotic industry . The Japanese government is also investing heavily into robotics research and development to help it compete with other countries that are developing their own robot - like China. Last month , Japanese telecom company SoftBank showcased Pepper , `` the first robot to read human emotions , '' according to the company 's CEO , Masayoshi Son . Japan 's prime minister hopes the robotics industry will be a major economic contributor in the future .
Japan has long portrayed robots in popular culture , paving the way for the country 's robotic industry . The Japanese government is also investing heavily into robotics research and development to help it compete with other countries that are developing their own robot - like China. Japan 's prime minister hopes the robotics industry will be a major economic contributor in the future .