Akita City, US Firms Plan 2 Trillion Yen AI Data Center; Official Smokes in Bathrobe at Briefing

Akita Prefecture is advancing a plan to build an artificial intelligence data center. If completed in Akita City, the facility would become the largest data center in Japan. Akita City and two US IT companies are leading the project, with operations targeted for the first half of the 2030s. The substantial electricity required by the data center would come from renewable energy sources, including offshore wind power.

The project's press coverage drew attention for a separate reason. On August 6, a prefectural official in charge of business attraction appeared in a bathrobe during an online media briefing at the prefectural government office. The official was seen smoking while a subordinate gave explanations, with white smoke visible rising from the official's mouth, and the smoking posture was also captured on camera.