Japan begins robot trials in 7-Eleven amid massive worker shortage

Japan’s biggest convenience store chain has started trials of robot workers in an effort to address a serious worker shortage in the country.

A 7-Eleven shop in Tokyo will be the first to test the autonomous machines, which can perform tasks like stacking shelves and cleaning windows.

The store already features a self-checkout register that customers can use to interact with remote customer support staff.

“We aim to increase productivity and create an environment where we can challenge ourselves to create new product assortments and services,” Hiroki Takei, head of operations at 7-Eleven, said in a statement shared with local media.

The company hopes to achieve a full-scale introduction of the robots in the future.

Japan is suffering from increasing labour shortages as a result of an aging and shrinking population.

The country’s working age population has been in decline since the late 1990s, with around a third of its population now over the age of 65.

A 2023 study by Recruit Works Institute found that Japan is facing a deficit of 3.4 million workers by the end of the decade, and 11 million workers by 2040.

This shortfall is driving automation in the country, as businesses look to advanced robots to fill the gaps.

Japan currently ranks fifth in the world for robot density in the manufacturing industry, with 419 units per 10,000 employees installed, according to a 2024 study by the International Federation of Robotics.

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Earlier this year, 7-Eleven began testing a delivery service using four-wheeled robots that travel on pavements in Tokyo.

It comes amid a truck driver shortage in Japan, as well as an aging clientele that has difficulty getting to the shops.

The delivery robot trials will continue until February 2026 before the company decides on a wider roll out of the service.

A 7-Eleven spokesperson said: “We deliberately targeted an area with slopes and an aging population to clarify the problems we would face ahead of putting the service into practical use.”