In the span of a single fiscal year, Japan's relationship with generative AI shifted from cautious curiosity to widespread habit, with nearly six in ten citizens now having used the technology and businesses adopting it at an even more striking pace. The young have embraced it almost universally, while older generations remain at a distance, tracing a familiar arc in how societies absorb transformative tools unevenly across time and experience. Japan's momentum is genuine, yet measured against China, Germany, and the United States, it reveals something enduring about the gap between adopting a