Yoshihisa Ijiri, President and CEO, SB Intuitions Corporation

2026.07.23

Instead of following trends, we're creating them. Taking on the world with AI originating in Japan.

■ Profile
He joined Omron Corporation in 2002, where he led the development of facial recognition technology and image inspection equipment. In 2021, he led research and development of multimodal AI and other technologies at LINE Corporation (now LINE Yahoo! Japan Corporation). In 2023, he joined SB Intuitions Corporation, where he served as Director and CRO before becoming President and CEO in February 2026. Leveraging the knowledge he cultivated at the forefront of AI research, he is leading the development of domestically produced generative AI.

SB Intuitions Corporation, established by SoftBank Corp., is a company that conducts research and development of domestically produced generative AI and develops and provides generative AI services. Its main business is the development of large-scale language models specialized for the Japanese language, and it aims to build a "next-generation digital society infrastructure" that leverages Japan's unique strengths. We spoke with President Ijiri about his thoughts on AI development with an eye on Japan's future and his approach of creating rather than following trends.

During my university years, I majored in mechanical engineering, but I actively took courses in various fields beyond my specialization. I was particularly interested in architecture and even attended architecture classes. By the time I graduated, I had earned around 200 to 250 credits, far exceeding the graduation requirements. At the time, I sometimes stayed up all night building models and drawing blueprints with architecture students. It may not have been the most efficient student life, but looking back now, the experience of continuously learning about things I was interested in has become a great asset. Even seemingly different fields such as mechanical engineering, information engineering, and architecture share common scientific ways of thinking when you delve deeper. I believe that acquiring a broad range of these ways of thinking has been extremely helpful in my subsequent career.

■My childhood aspirations formed the foundation of my current career path.

Actually, my career path was decided when I was a child. Growing up in the countryside of Kyoto, and with parents who worked in car repair, I was very interested in machinery.
Amidst all of that, I harbored a strong admiration for a particular company: Omron Corporation. My first encounter with an Omron product was an electronic thermometer. Its design was different from the mercury thermometers that were mainstream at the time, and I was impressed by its advanced technology. Later, I saw the Omron name on ATMs at banks and automatic ticket gates at train stations. Even as a child, I genuinely believed that "Omron makes all the amazing things in the world," and I was determined to "definitely join this company."
That dream came true, and I was able to join Omron as a new graduate. After joining the company, I was involved in landmine removal projects, research on image recognition technology, and development of factory automation systems. Through research on facial recognition and image processing, I was able to build the technical foundation that led to my current AI development. I also had the valuable experience of visiting factories and production sites around the world and feeling firsthand how technology contributes to society.

■ The turning point of overfitting

I was having a very fulfilling time at Omron. However, one day, a senior colleague in the industry told me, "How long are you going to keep overfitting to Omron?" In the world of machine learning, overfitting refers to a state where something becomes too adapted to a specific environment and loses its generality. As someone working in that field, those words really stuck with me. At first, I resisted, but as time went on, I started to think about my own career.
Then, I decided to take on a new challenge and changed jobs to LINE Corporation (now LINE Yahoo! Japan Corporation). There, I had the opportunity to lead an AI development team that handled computer vision, voice, images, and language. After that, I joined SoftBank's generative AI business, and currently, as president of SB Intuitions, I am working on developing a foundational model originating in Japan.

■Reasons for taking on the challenge of generative AI originating in Japan

At the core of current generative AI is the "foundation model." While traditional AI was designed for specific applications, the foundation model is a general-purpose AI that learns from vast amounts of data and can handle a wide range of uses. Its development requires enormous computing resources and capital.
There are giant corporations around the world that invest tens or even hundreds of times more than Japanese companies. Competing in such an environment is by no means easy. However, if Japan loses its presence in this field, it risks being left behind in the next generation of innovation. We are not creating AI that is solely focused on the Japanese language. Technically, AI can learn any language. We are targeting a wide range of fields, including images, voice, and robotics.
On the other hand, I believe there is great significance in understanding Japanese culture and values, and in having Japanese people take the lead in development. For example, when considering a future where AI is used in the field of education, it is a crucial issue who will convey Japanese history and culture and with what values. We believe it is our mission to proceed with development while taking such cultural backgrounds into account.

■The human resources needed to compete on a global scale

I am particularly impressed by people who have no boundaries in their own minds. I believe that people who can envision big dreams and visions are strong. However, nothing comes of imagination alone. You also need the ability to translate dreams into concrete plans and then execute them.
I believe there are three barriers to human beings: the first is the barrier of imagination, the second is the barrier of concretization, and the third is the barrier of action. We need people who can think big, and we also need people who can translate those ideas into realistic plans. And above all, it is important to have people who have the drive to see things through to the end. This does not mean that academic qualifications or certifications are unnecessary. However, what is even more important is the ability to formulate questions, scientifically verify them, and create new value. I believe that this ability is the essence of being a researcher or engineer.

■Message to university students

What I want to tell students is that I want them to find something they truly enjoy. During their student years, students tend to be overwhelmed by assignments, job hunting, and other "things they have to do." However, homework has an end. If you only chase after things that have an end in sight, you won't be able to take on big challenges. Truly interesting challenges are those that have no end in sight. That's why there's anxiety and hardship. But beyond that lies new discoveries and growth.
While it's important to keep up with trends, I hope that someday you'll become the ones creating them. If we can increase the number of people who can transmit new values from Japan to the world, Japan will surely become an even more interesting country. Let your curiosity be your driving force, and enjoy your own unique challenges as you move forward.

Student Newspaper Online, May 17, 2026, Interview by Reina Inomoto, 1st year student at Kyoto University of the Arts

Reina Inomoto (1st year, Kyoto University of the Arts) / Tatsushi Harada (2nd year, Nihon University) / Seina Yamahata (2nd year, Musashino Art University) / Nina Ishikawa (2nd year, Sophia University) / Chiharu Yamada (2nd year, Information Management Innovation Professional University) / Yuta Wakita (3rd year, Hosei University) / Kenhiko Yamada (1st year, Hosei University) / Misaki Wagatsuma (4th year, Tokyo Denki University) / Sakura Yamashita (4th year, Tsuda University) / Kyohei Nakazawa (3rd year, Waseda University)