The February 11th episode of RobotsPodcast is the first part of a series on funding strategies worldwide, which will cover America, Asia and Europe. Starting from Japan we talk to an expert and leading figure in Japanese Robotics, Tomomasa Sato, who is currently a project manager for intelligent robot projects supported by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry, otherwise known at METI. During this interview, Tomomasa Sato tells us about the money spent in robotics; the differences between industry and government funding and developments and the cultural differences that make Japanese people accept robots into their daily lives. Read on or tune in! (image from the Robotics Society of Japan)