Claude Opens Tokyo Office and Partners With Japan AI Safety Institute.

Anthropic officially opened its first Asia-Pacific office in Tokyo this week, marking a significant expansion for the AI company as it deepens its presence in one of its fastest-growing markets. The move comes as Claude's run rate revenue in the region has grown more than 10x over the past year.

CEO Dario Amodei met with Prime Minister Takaichi and Digital Minister Matsumoto to discuss support for Japan's AI ecosystem. The company also signed a memorandum of cooperation with the Japan AI Safety Institute to collaborate on AI evaluation methodologies, emphasizing what Anthropic calls "international cooperation and shared approaches to testing and assessment."

Japan has become Claude's largest user base in the Asia-Pacific region, with particularly strong adoption of Claude Code among developers. The company hosted its first Builder Summit in Tokyo, bringing together more than 150 startups and founders building with Claude.

Major Japanese enterprises have integrated Claude into their operations:

• Rakuten is using Claude across its ecosystem
• NRI Group has deployed the platform for consulting services
• Panasonic is leveraging Claude for various applications

This enterprise momentum mirrors patterns seen in other markets, where Claude has secured partnerships with large organizations like Cognizant, which rolled out the platform to 350,000 employees for IT modernization.

Beyond enterprise adoption, Anthropic announced an extended partnership with the Mori Art Museum to support Japan's creative community. The collaboration will back the upcoming Roppongi Crossing 2025 exhibition and future programs exploring the intersection of art and technology.

The cultural initiative reflects a broader strategy of engaging with local communities beyond purely commercial applications, similar to Claude's recent partnership with Iceland to launch an AI education pilot for teachers.

The Tokyo office represents the first step in a broader APAC expansion. Anthropic confirmed it will open offices in Seoul and Bengaluru in the coming months, positioning the company to serve three of Asia's major tech hubs.

The timing aligns with growing enterprise demand for AI tools across the region. For developers building with Claude, the company has been releasing technical resources like its engineering guide for building token-efficient AI agents using the Model Context Protocol.

The focus on AI safety collaboration through the memorandum with Japan's safety institute suggests Anthropic is prioritizing regulatory alignment as it scales internationally. This approach could prove valuable as governments worldwide develop frameworks for AI governance and safety standards.