Japan's Labor Crisis Is America's Preview
with Tetsuo Shiihashi | Hosted by Jake E. Jennings
September 8, 2026
Coffee, Trade, and Tech, Episode #12
As Japan confronts an aging workforce and shrinking labor pool, the country is becoming a real-world test case for how industrial economies can use AI to sustain productivity and competitiveness. Laboro.AI's Tetsuo Shiihashi steps into the Tholos Circle to explain how Japan is responding, and what it could mean for U.S. reshoring.
Tetsuo Shiihashi is Co-founder and CEO of Laboro.AI, a Tokyo-based company specializing in custom AI solutions for enterprise, with a focus on manufacturing and industrial applications. In this conversation, they explore how AI can help address industrial labor shortages, preserve critical manufacturing expertise, and strengthen economic competitiveness in an era of demographic change and reshoring.
This is Episode 12 of our Tholos Talks series, Coffee, Trade, and Tech, where Basilinna Chair of Technology and Trade, Jake E. Jennings, sits down with global leaders and industry experts to unpack the defining economic challenges of today. In this episode:
Capturing tacit knowledge from veteran workers before it retires with them
Why Japan’s public sector has traditionally taken a cautious approach to manufacturing AI — and why that is changing
Why AI deployment is shifting from automating tasks to aiding management judgment
Why Japan's government was slow to touch manufacturing, and why that's changing
Shiihashi's advice for U.S. reshoring: restore the knowledge, not just the factories
Innovation's real lessons live in the failure stories, not the success stories
Shiihashi's take on where AI has surprised his most sophisticated clients
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This episode is brought to you by the Basilinna Institute.
About Our Guest
Tetsuo Shiihashi is the Co-founder and CEO of Laboro.AI, a Tokyo-based company specializing in custom AI solutions for enterprise, with a focus on manufacturing and industrial applications. Founded in 2016, Laboro.AI is publicly listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (Growth Market) and works with major Japanese manufacturers to embed AI into core production processes — from causal analysis and predictive maintenance to tacit knowledge digitization.
Before founding Laboro.AI, Tetsuo worked at Boston Consulting Group across its Tokyo and Washington, DC offices, focusing on digital and analytics strategy. He also served as Director of the University of Tokyo's Chair for Consumer Intelligence, where he led industry-academia collaboration and data science education initiatives. He currently serves as Visiting Professor at Kansai University. He holds a B.S. in Physics and Mathematics from the University of Texas at Arlington.
Tetsuo is currently focused on bringing Japanese manufacturing AI capabilities to the U.S. market, working at the intersection of industrial AI, workforce transformation, and U.S.-Japan technology partnership.
About Our Host
Jake E. Jennings is Chair of Technology and Trade at Basilinna. He is a seasoned government affairs leader with over three decades of experience with expertise in global trade, supply chain policy, and international markets. His career spans...read the full bio here.
About Tholos Talks
Tholos Talks is a series following the spirit of the tholos circle, where Ancient Greek intellectuals gathered to debate the issues of the day. Through deep insight and thought-provoking dialogue, we offer the tools to decode complexity and illuminate the path forward.
Tholos Talks is hosted by the Basilinna team and is produced by the Basilinna Institute.
Published by Basilinna Institute. All rights reserved.