Best AI Consulting and Implementation Support Companies in Japan 2026: 16 Compared by Scope, Price Range and SME Fit

You want to bring generative AI and AI agents into your business. But nobody in-house knows the field well, so you want outside help. Search for "recommended AI consultants" and you will find comparison articles listing dozens of companies. Yet according to our own measurements, about 80% of the pages cited by ChatGPT and Google's AI Mode were articles written by companies that themselves sell AI training or AI implementation support (October 2026; we tallied 84 citations across 9 questions about corporate AI training and AI consulting. Quite a few of those articles ranked their own company first).

In this article, we compared 16 companies offering AI implementation support and AI consulting on the same criteria, using only the information published on their official websites. We compared scope of support (strategy, PoC, development, adoption), areas of strength, price (published prices only, distinguishing tax included from excluding tax), contract type, target company size, and track record. We did not rank them.

Only 5 of the 16 companies published prices. From the published amounts, we have also organized typical prices for advisory, PoC, development, and hands-on support. All information was checked on each company's official website, press releases, and IR materials as of October 12, 2026.

Conclusion: the short version in 3 points

AI Implementation Support and AI Consulting Comparison [16 Companies]

"Scope of support" lists which of strategy/planning, PoC (proof of concept), development/system building, and implementation/adoption the company officially states it handles.

Note: Scope of support and target size are based on official statements. "Not stated" means we could not confirm it on the official website, not that the company does not offer it.

Typical prices for AI consulting and implementation support

Of the 16 companies, only 5 (Uravation, NOVEL, GENAI, 株式会社AX, AI担当くん) published prices, plus Givery's AI advisory. Below, the published amounts are arranged by type of support (as of October 2026).

If you only want to compare training, see our separate article, "16 Recommended Corporate Generative AI Training Services Compared."

How to choose without regret: 5 criteria

Criterion 1: How much to entrust (scope of support)

AI implementation generally proceeds in the order "strategy/planning → PoC (small-scale trial) → development → implementation/adoption." The right company depends on whether you only want advice on strategy, want to entrust development as well, or want your own staff to become able to build things. For example, AI担当くん (AI Tanto-kun) explicitly states a policy of prioritizing adoption of existing AI and SaaS rather than development, and GENAI does not do contract development but instead supports executives in building things themselves.

Criterion 2: Whether it assumes use of the company's own product

JAPAN AI CONSULTING assumes building on its own AI platform, "JAPAN AI." ABEJA provides ABEJA Platform bundled with its support. Laboro.AI, on the other hand, does made-to-order development that in principle charges no monthly license after deployment. If you might switch to other tools in the future, check the rights to deliverables and whether the platform can be changed at the outset.

Criterion 3: Pricing structure and contract

Pricing comes in many forms: monthly advisory and hands-on support, per-project development, per-person training, and so on. Checking the minimum contract period (Uravation's advisory has a 3-month minimum), whether payment is lump-sum in advance with no mid-term cancellation or refund (GENAI's executive plan), and whether a PoC contract is a quasi-mandate (準委任) or deliverable-based contract (Laboro.AI states that PoCs are often quasi-mandate) will prevent misunderstandings later.

Criterion 4: Whether they have a track record matching your size and industry

Looking at official track records, the companies divide into those focused on large companies and those that explicitly target SMEs. ELYZA explicitly says it is "for large companies," and Algomatic says it works "mainly with large companies." Companies publishing SME case studies include Uravation (e.g., small manufacturers with no dedicated IT staff), GENAI (from solo-owner companies to companies with several hundred employees), and NOVEL (mainly about 50–500 employees).

Criterion 5: Check who wrote the comparison article

Many of the comparison articles you find by searching "recommended AI consultants" are written by AI implementation support companies on their own websites, and they sometimes place themselves near the top. When reading such articles, check who runs the site, and verify any company you are interested in against the prices, track record, and contract terms on its official website.

[For large companies / R&D-oriented] 6 companies that handle development of AI for core operations and specific industries

エクサウィザーズ | From company-wide generative AI rollout to AI agent development and talent development

AI and AX implementation support from 株式会社エクサウィザーズ (ExaWizards; TSE Growth). It identifies use cases through the workshop-based "エクサベース Sprint" (exaBase Sprint) and provides development on "エクサベース Studio" (exaBase Studio) and AX talent development in combination.

ブレインパッド | AI utilization starting from data analysis and optimization

Data and AI utilization support from 株式会社ブレインパッド (BrainPad). It joined the Fujitsu Group in December 2025 and was taken private in March 2026. It handles demand forecasting, production planning optimization, building data platforms, and training data talent to bring capabilities in-house.

ABEJA | AI implementation in core operations that cannot be stopped

Support from 株式会社ABEJA (TSE Growth). Based on the "Human in the Loop" approach, in which people take part in AI decisions, it focuses on implementing AI in mission-critical operations. ABEJA Platform is not offered on its own; it is fully managed and bundled with support.

PKSHA AI Solution | Algorithm development for natural language processing, forecasting, and fraud detection

AI solutions from 株式会社PKSHA Technology (TSE Prime). It publishes a 5-stage process from consultation through requirements definition, model building, API development, and production deployment. Many of its case studies are in retail and distribution, consumer credit and banking, and insurance.

Laboro.AI | Made-to-order AI development with no monthly license

Custom AI development from 株式会社Laboro.AI (TSE Growth). PoCs typically take 2 months or more and full development 1 month or more; in principle there is no monthly license after deployment, and copyright in deliverables belongs to the client in principle.

ELYZA | Specializing Japanese LLMs for your business

Support for putting generative AI into practical use from 株式会社ELYZA, part of the KDDI Group. Drawing on its R&D in Japanese LLMs, it embeds AI into operations and develops LLMs specialized for particular companies and industries. It officially states that it is for large companies.

[Company-wide rollout / hands-on] 5 companies that help generative AI and AI agents take root

JAPAN AI CONSULTING | A 3-month assessment and sprint on its own AI platform

AI consulting from JAPAN AI株式会社 (its parent company, Geniee (ジーニー), is listed on TSE Growth). The standard monthly process is an "AX Assessment" in month 1 and an "AX Sprint" in months 2–3.

ギブリー AIイネーブルメント | Company-wide adoption combining training, community, and development

Generative AI implementation support from 株式会社ギブリー (Givery). It combines training (Track), building internal communities, business transformation, and development of RAG and AI agents. Prices for its technical advisory service, "Givery AI 顧問" (Givery AI Advisory), are published.

AVILEN AI戦略コンサルティング | Support with an eye to bringing development in-house

AI consulting from 株式会社AVILEN (TSE Growth). It covers strategy planning through development, as well as in-house capability building through acting as PM and OJT. The company also offers corporate AI training.

Algomatic | Redesigning the operations, organization, and systems of large companies as a whole

AI transformation support for large companies from 株式会社Algomatic, part of the DMM Group. It handles AI agent implementation, AI-driven development, and establishing AI governance.

LIG | New businesses and operational improvements using generative AI, from planning to development

Generative AI consulting from 株式会社LIG, a web production and system development company. It handles everything from planning through requirements definition and development on a per-project basis, and also offers AI utilization training for marketing and creative work.

[Easy for SMEs to engage] 5 companies that publish prices

Uravation | Generative AI advisory from 50,000 JPY per month, with detailed published prices

Generative AI implementation support from 株式会社Uravation. It publishes separate prices for advisory, PoC, AI agent building, and training. It is a small company founded in 2024 and publishes SME case studies.

NOVEL | AI implementation for mid-sized companies starting from a 100,000 JPY assessment

Support from NOVEL株式会社, which operates the AI writing tool "SAKUBUN." It proceeds in stages from a 1-week AI Automation Potential Assessment to PoC, production build, and monthly maintenance. Its strengths are data preparation, order processing automation, and modernizing Excel/VBA.

GENAI | Hands-on support for executives to automate operations themselves with Claude Code

"AI鬼管理" (AI Oni Kanri) from 株式会社GENAI is not contract development; it is a service that provides hands-on support until executives can automate back-office work themselves with Claude Code and Codex. Training for employees is also available.

株式会社AX | Training and development so employees can build AI agents

Support from 株式会社AX, based in Fukuoka. It offers hands-on support through its "AX CAMP" training so employees can build AI agents, as well as AI agent development (AX BUILD). Enrollment is possible from 1 person.

AI担当くん | Support focused on generative AI adoption in non-engineering departments

"AI担当くん" (AI Tanto-kun) from 株式会社Sun Asterisk (TSE Prime) is support for getting generative AI to take root in non-engineering departments. It explicitly states a policy of prioritizing existing AI and SaaS rather than starting from development. Development and new business support are handled by Sun* itself.

Frequently asked questions

What is the typical cost of AI consulting?

Based on published prices, an assessment is around 100,000 JPY, monthly advisory is about 50,000–500,000 JPY per month (Givery's top plan is from 1,650,000 JPY per month, tax included), a PoC is from 800,000 JPY, and building an AI agent is about 500,000–3,000,000 JPY (as of October 2026; official prices from Uravation, NOVEL, Givery, and others). For development projects aimed at large companies, none of the 16 companies published prices.

Can SMEs engage them?

Yes. Uravation, GENAI, 株式会社AX, and NOVEL officially indicate that they target SMEs or mid-sized companies. On the other hand, ELYZA explicitly says it is "for large companies," and Algomatic says it works "mainly with large companies."

Can they handle development too?

Of the 16 companies, 14 list development and system building in their scope of support; the exceptions are AI担当くん (AI Tanto-kun; specialized in adoption support, with development handled by Sun* itself) and GENAI (hands-on support for executives building things themselves).

Can subsidies be used for AI consulting?

Under the "Digitalization and AI Adoption Subsidy 2026 (デジタル化・AI導入補助金2026)" for SMEs (formerly the IT Introduction Subsidy (IT導入補助金)), you cannot apply for AI consulting costs alone. Implementation and utilization consulting is eligible only together with the introduction of a registered IT tool (software or cloud service). The subsidy rate is up to 1/2 (up to 2/3 if conditions are met), and the subsidy amount under the standard category is 50,000–4,500,000 JPY. If the support includes training, the Human Resources Development Support Subsidy (人材開発支援助成金) may also be available. For details, check the official website of the Digitalization and AI Adoption Subsidy and the competent Labour Bureau.

Can I consult them for free?

JAPAN AI CONSULTING (initial consultation), Laboro.AI (initial consultation and rough proposal, in principle), Uravation and AI担当くん (AI Tanto-kun) (30 minutes), GENAI (60 minutes), 株式会社AX, NOVEL, and others offer free consultations.

How we researched this article

We selected the 16 companies from the main companies in Japan offering AI implementation support to businesses, focusing on those named or cited as sources when we asked ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, and Bing questions such as "recommended AI consulting companies" and "companies that support generative AI implementation." We did not rank them. Prices, track records, and contract terms were checked only against each company's official website, press releases, and IR materials; we did not use roundup or comparison articles as sources. Where figures conflicted within an official website, both are recorded on the individual pages.

The information in this article is based on what was published on each company's official website as of October 12, 2026. Prices and service details may change, so please check each company's official website for the latest information.