Japanese artificial intelligence (AI) firm ABEJA, Inc., announced Wednesday that it will establish a wholly-owned subsidiary in Singapore to accelerate its global expansion.
The firm said in a statement by leveraging its expertise in AI implementation for mission-critical operations accumulated in Japan, it will promote business development in the ASEAN region starting from Singapore and drive its global expansion.
It is noted that ABEJA operates the “Enterprise Platform Business,” centered on the ABEJA Platform, which enables customers to successfully implement AI in real-world operations and supports its continuous advancement.
The ABEJA Platform is an implementation infrastructure that handles data, decision-making, and operations integrally to support the advancement of real-world operations by moving beyond PoC (Proof of Concept) to actual operations, integrating decision-making by Agentic AI and execution by Physical AI.
Furthermore, based on an architecture that assumes “Human in the Loop” (human-AI collaboration), it enables real-world AI operations from the initial stage, achieving “zero PoC.”
The firm noted this makes it possible to continuously advance AI while embedding it directly into business processes, even in highly mission-critical operations.
Currently, while the AI development competition is intensifying, centered primarily in the United States and China, leading to large-scale investments in foundation models, computational resources, and related infrastructure, on the adoption side, requirements such as data safety, governance, operational continuity, and adaptability to industry-specific regulations unique to each country are becoming increasingly critical for both enterprises and governments, said the firm.
In the ASEAN region, alongside the expanding utilization of AI, there is a rapidly growing movement to promote the social implementation of responsible and secure AI while coordinating institutional consistency across the region, it said.
It highlighted that Singapore is strengthening its function as a trusted and open “Global AI Hub” that enables collaboration among enterprises and research institutions from diverse countries and regions.
ABEJA recognizes that the country offers a robust business environment and advanced networks ideal for supporting its business expansion across the ASEAN region.
In an environment where AI governance has become an extremely critical issue, the firm said it believes that providing the ABEJA Platform — which eliminates the risk of delegating data sovereignty to foreign nations and can flexibly adapt to local legal frameworks and corporate security policies —aligns perfectly with the needs of the Global South, including the ASEAN region.
ABEJA noted, as a Japanese pioneer supporting AI implementation in enterprise mission-critical operations, the firm has recently experienced a surge in inquiries from various countries.
Under these circumstances, the firm has decided to establish the New Company in Singapore as its regional hub to drive business development across the ASEAN region.
This initiative and its strategic direction are fully aligned with the “Basic Plan for Artificial Intelligence (Phase II)” approved by the Japanese Cabinet on July 14, 2026, which advocates for the social implementation of vertical AI and Physical AI leveraging Japan’s on-site operational capabilities, the establishment of an open “AI sovereignty,” and the strengthening of partnerships with ASEAN and other regions.
ABEJA also said it will roll out its proprietary expertise globally and contribute to the construction of digital infrastructure capable of solving complex challenges on a global scale.
Positioning the wholly-owned subsidiary “ABEJA GLOBAL Pte. Ltd.” as its central hub for ASEAN operations, ABEJA said it will cultivate partnerships with local companies, universities, research centers, and government bodies to drive new project development.
To expand its AI and Physical AI-related operations throughout the Global South — including the ASEAN region, the new company will progressively scale up its operational capabilities.
By deeply integrating itself into actual field operations and employing a “Human in the Loop” approach— where humans and AI cooperate to iteratively enhance AI capabilities, ABEJA said it has successfully implemented AI for highly advanced business processes, establishing a proven track record with more than 300 companies.
Drawing upon this extensive domestic experience and expertise, the firm will expand the ABEJA Platform into the region as a “highly reliable AI infrastructure with minimal risk” tailored to local legal frameworks and individual corporate security guidelines.
Clarence Chua, Senior Vice President and Head, Japan and Korea, Economic Development Board (EDB), said ABEJA’s decision to establish its regional hub in Singapore reflecting the city state’s position as a trusted base for companies driving AI development and deployment.
“ABEJA’s expertise in AI for enterprise operations will buttress Singapore’s efforts to accelerate AI adoption across industries. We look forward to partnering ABEJA as it taps on our talent pool, forges local business and innovation partnerships, and delivers impactful AI solutions across the region,” he added.
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