Anthropic just made a power move in Asia—bringing on a tech veteran to lead its Japanese operations. With Claude gaining momentum in Japan, here’s why this hire matters and what it signals for the region’s AI future.
Anthropic, the AI research company behind the Claude AI models, is doubling down on Japan. In a major regional expansion move, the company has appointed Hidetoshi Tojo as Head of Japan, marking a significant step in its strategy to establish a solid foothold in Asia. Tokyo has been chosen as Anthropic’s first office in the region—a clear signal of its growing ambitions in one of the world’s most tech-forward economies.
Tojo, a seasoned leader in the enterprise cloud space, brings with him an impressive résumé. He helped scale Snowflake’s operations in Japan from scratch and previously held senior roles at Google Cloud Japan and Microsoft, across both domestic and U.S. teams. His deep local expertise is expected to be key in steering Anthropic’s rapid growth trajectory in Japan.
“Japanese enterprises are rapidly integrating generative AI into business-critical operations,” said Tojo. “They want AI that is not just powerful but safe, secure, and trustworthy—which aligns perfectly with Anthropic’s mission.”
According to CEO Dario Amodei, Claude has already gained strong traction with Japanese companies such as Rakuten, Panasonic, and NRI, who are using it to enhance workflows, customer service, and innovation. The appointment of Tojo comes at a time when adoption is accelerating—and competition is heating up.
The company plans to open its Tokyo office in the coming months and will be hiring across various roles. Tojo will lead efforts to build a local team deeply rooted in Japanese market dynamics. Anthropic also aims to strengthen ties with policymakers, academia, and cloud partners like Amazon Bedrock and Google Cloud Vertex AI.
Key Takeaways:
- Hidetoshi Tojo appointed as Head of Japan to lead AI growth.
- Tokyo chosen as Anthropic’s first Asia office.
- Claude is already in use by major Japanese firms like Rakuten and Panasonic.
- Anthropic to expand hiring and local operations in the coming year.
- Company aims to foster partnerships across government, tech, and academia.
Source: Anthropic