This paper describes the current situation and background of techno-animism in Japan. Techno-animism is a mental tendency or cultural trait that recognizes animistic elements in various phenomena related to technology, particularly the belief that spirits and deities can exist in man-made objects such as tools and machines. Its historical background lies in the strong affinity of Japanese culture with animism in general. In Japan, the influence of animism can be seen in religion, thought, and culture in general. Here, the ideas of Orikuchi Shinobu and Iwata Keiji are introduced as representative animist thinkers, and trends in the visual arts are presented as the current situation in the cultural sphere. The anthropologist Umesao Tadao was one of the most active proponents of the techno-animist discourse in the second half of the twentieth century, and he played a major role in the cultural and social characterization of Japan. We believe that his writings, based on a thorough understanding of Japan’s cultural and social characteristics, will provide new insights into the relationship between robots, artificial intelligence, and humans as a form of animism in an industrial society.