On 25 May, 70 customers joined us at JP Tower Hall & Conference in Tokyo for the RWS FutureForum – a half-day event covering AI in localization and IP. Attendees came from a range of industries, spanning automotive, construction machinery, electronics and semiconductors, as well as law firms and corporate IP departments. The day included keynote sessions and breakout discussions, and closed with a networking event.
AI adoption in localization: where attendees stand today
A live survey at the start of the Transform session gave us a useful read on where Japanese enterprises are with AI right now. Every attendee confirmed they're already using AI in their workflows, and 63% are planning to extend their AI use further.
Quality and accuracy remain the primary concern, cited by 87% of respondents. That tension – between the appetite to scale AI use and the need for reliable output in technically complex content – ran through much of the day's discussion.
RWS CEO Ben Faes opened with an overview focusing on cultural intelligence and what the State of Global Content 2026 report tells us about the current state of enterprise AI in localization. For export-heavy industries where technical documentation needs to land precisely across different languages and regulatory environments, the gap between raw AI output and genuinely fit-for-purpose content is a practical operational concern.
Our sales team also walked through how Trados and Language Weaver Pro support the kind of structured, quality-controlled workflow that makes AI adoption sustainable in these environments.
Guest session: Kobelco Construction Machinery Engineering
Mr. Osaka from Kobelco Construction Machinery Engineering shared his team's experience evaluating and testing AI in technical documentation workflows – the expectations they've set internally, the quality risks they're managing, and how they're approaching decisions about where AI fits and where human expertise stays in the loop.
Post-event feedback reflected the session's relevance, with attendees citing similar challenges in their own organizations.
European patent strategy and AI in IP
The session on intellectual property brought together IP professionals for a practical look at European patent strategy and AI's role in IP operations.
Mr. Tadashi Takeuchi, Partner and Patent Attorney at TMI Associates, walked through recent examples from the Unified Patent Court, highlighting the pace of injunction decisions and the strict timelines involved – a practical reminder of why preparation and process matter in European proceedings.
We also walked through how our EP validation services and inovia – our online foreign patent filing portal – help simplify the filing process, from translations and cost estimates through to tracking and submission. A number of attendees registered for the platform on the day.
Annuity management featured too, with a focus on how our services support operational continuity from European filing through to initial payments.
A video message from James Lacey, CEO of our Protect division, covered recent developments including RWS’s acquisition of Obviously, our AI-powered brand protection service. Marie Hara, RWS Japan Country Leader, drew on a pre-event survey of attendees' foreign filing practices to anchor the discussion in real operational experience – where Japanese companies are today and what they're finding difficult.
The day closed with a networking event – a good opportunity for attendees from across industries to compare notes with peers, share their experiences of AI adoption, and continue conversations started in the sessions. The RWS team also got quality face-to-face time with customers, and Ben Faes had the chance to speak directly with attendees from the local market.
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Tags:
Intellectual Property
Author
Sarah Donnelly
Global Content Strategist
Sarah has worked as a copywriter for more than 20 years. She has written for broadsheet newspapers, magazines and corporate publications across a wide range of sectors. Prior to joining RWS she headed up the marketing department of mid-size company within the energy sector. She now looks after content for the intellectual property division of RWS.