Building the Premier
Foundation for Speech AI
in Japan and Asia
Our Technologies
Simultaneous Translation
End-to-End speech translation and dubbing.
Supports voice cloning and emotion rendering.
Kotoba-SpeechGen
By leveraging Preset Voice, we enable fluent and natural voice generation that surpasses traditional Japanese TTS.
A new voice cloning feature has been added, allowing users to upload and utilize their own voices or audio files.
Real-time performance is being progressively improved, with plans to expand support to multiple languages, including English and Southeast Asian languages, in the future.
Speech to-text
Ultra-fast Japanese ASR model (6.3 times faster inference speed compared to OpenAI Whisper)
Now supports end-to-end bidirectional Japanese-English speech-to-text translation, including a bilingual version.
Case Studies
Our Vision
Pioneering Japan's GenAI development with Cutting-Edge Speech AI,
We create a future borderless.
Our Story
Kotoba Technologies was co-founded by Dr. Hiroyuki Kojima and Dr. Jungo Kasai, who earned their PhDs in AI from top U.S. institutions. The company is a cross-border startup that merges cutting-edge AI research and high-performance computing (HPC) expertise from both the United States and Japan.
The journey of Kotoba Technologies began with the development of a Japanese-centric large language model (LLM) using Fugaku, once the world's fastest supercomputer (and at the time ranked second).
Building on the success of this Fugaku project, Kotoba Technologies was founded by assembling the most talented researchers and engineers to bridge the gap in the adoption of generative AI between English and non-English languages. The company focuses on enhancing generative AI’s technical capabilities in the field of speech and exploring its diverse practical applications.
The company’s name, "Kotoba Technologies," is inspired by the origins of the Japanese word "kotoba" (言葉). Derived from the poetry of Tsurayuki Kino, "kotoba" refers to words that bloom like leaves from the seeds of human emotions. We hope the technologies we develop will serve as “seeds” that spread like “leaves” throughout society.
At the heart of groundbreaking technological advancements, Kotoba Technologies stands at the forefront, creating innovations that amaze and inspire.
Founders
Noriyuki Kojima
Co-Founder, CEO
Earned a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Cornell University. Awarded the Best Paper Award at EMNLP 2022, one of the leading conferences in AI. Specializes in natural language processing and computer vision, with a particular focus on large language models. Currently a co-founder of the LLM Fugaku project, a cross-organizational initiative involving Japanese universities and companies, utilizing Fugaku (then the world's second-fastest supercomputer).
Previously worked at Facebook and Hugging Face, a leading company in open-source AI models and data infrastructure. Also a recipient of the Masayoshi Son Foundation Scholarship.
Jungo Kasai
Co-Founder, CTO
Earned a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Washington and a Ph.D. from IBM. Currently an Assistant Professor at the Toyota Technological Institute at Chicago (TTIC). At just 29 years old, recognized as a leading expert in natural language processing (NLP), ranked among the top 40 most-cited Japanese NLP researchers. Has published numerous papers in top-tier international conferences.
Internship experiences at Facebook, Microsoft, IBM, and the Allen Institute for AI have provided deep insights into the processes and elements needed to apply AI to real-world applications. Recipient of the Best Paper Award at NAACL 2022. Also a scholar of the Masayoshi Son Foundation and a recipient of the Funai Overseas Scholarship.
We are currently recruiting talented people!
<Operational Office Location: 5F Otemachi bldg, 571)>
6F Otemachi bldg., 1-6-1 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo,
100-0004, Japan
Established in October 2023
Company
KOTOBA TECHNOLOGIES JAPAN, K.K.
Group Company
Kotoba Tecnologies, Inc. <Seattle in the US >
Established in July 2023