Mitani Sangyo’s Co-Developed Virtual Human “Hokuto Taizan” Appointed as Candidate for AI Outside Director

Aww Inc. is pleased to announce that “Taizan Hokuto,” a virtual human co-developed with Mitani Sangyo Co., Ltd. (Headquarter: Kanazawa, Ishikawa; President and CEO: Tadanobu Mitani), has been nominated as a candidate for the role of AI External Board Director at Mitani Sangyo.

Hokuto Taizan combines Eastern philosophical intelligence with Aww’s proprietary conversational AI system. Positioned as an “insight-generating presence” in management, the AI will participate in board and executive meetings as part of operational trials ahead of its formal appointment in June 2026.

Instances of AI serving in decision-making roles at the board level are extremely rare in Japan, making this a pioneering initiative in applying digital talent to corporate governance.

Through the real-world deployment of Taizan Hokuto, Aww will continue to explore and refine a new model in which AI contributes to executive level decision making. Beyond the boardroom, Hokuto will participate in management meetings and project teams, with ongoing updates to its dialogue capabilities and thinking style tailored to each business context.