Not when it comes to hostile environments. The US has a much greater need than the rest of the planet in that niche.

Don't worry, I'm sure that after this disaster is over, the Japanese will build a better robot for this situation.

Necessity is the mother of invention. We're fighting two wars where IED's are a big problem so we happen to be better prepared at this time.

Quote from the CEO of iRobot Colin Angle c.a. 2005: "I think humanoid robots are interesting and economically irrelevant for the foreseeable future."

http://news.cnet.com/The-leader-of-the-robot-pack---page-2/2...

To be sure, the Japanese have built some pretty amazing humanoid robots, and a lot of their emphasis seems to be trying to build things to help with caring for an aging population rather than detonating ieds, but it also seems that none of these projects so far have gotten past the proof of concept stage.

The Japanese have a cultural fascination with humanoid robots. Unfortunately, most useful robots at the moment are rather unimpressive looking and decidedly not humanoid. Ergo, much of Japanese robotics research is closer to toy design and production than to any other branch of engineering.