ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT QUARTERLY
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, now Japan’s longest
serving prime minister, has been very vocal on
Japan’s need to change. His “Abenomics” policies
over the past 8 years have focussed on stimulating
the Japanese economy and has had some success
to date, though detractors will still say not enough.
Most recently, the government has latched onto
the concept of “Society 5.0” ( https://www.gov-
online.go.jp/cam/s5/eng/ ), which is essentially
a description of the next evolution of organised
human society. It is a fascinating and appealing
concept which relies on technology and automation
to do the basic functions of society while humans
can focus on the higher value tasks, and in turn live
a higher quality of life. There is an interesting article
on the UNESCO site which explains this concept
further:
http://www.unesco.org/new/en/natural-sciences/
science-technology/single-view-sc-policy/news/
japan_pushing_ahead_with_society_50_to_
overcome_chronic_soc/
A full summary of the Abe Government’s
‘Abenomics’ agenda is available here:
https://www.japan.go.jp/abenomics/index.html
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, now
Japan’s longest serving prime
minister, has been very vocal
on Japan’s need to change. His
“Abenomics” policies over the past 8
years have focussed on stimulating
the Japanese economy and has had
some success to date...
In February 2018, the Japanese government
released a draft policy called “General Principles
Concerning Measures for the Ageing Society”.
Amongst other things it recommends changes to
make it easier for the population to work longer if
they want to and ensuring that working hours are
reduced to 40 hours per week (to help prevent
burnout).
https://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/japan/socsec/
aging.html
Another relevant policy is related to Japan’s push to
advance Robotics Technology as both a means to
replace labour shortages and to provide technology
that will help care for a potentially super-super-super
aged society. It will also help position Japan as a
world leader in the field of robotics (if it isn’t already).
http://www.meti.go.jp/english/press/2015/
pdf/0123_01b.pdf
There are a range of other relevant policies such as
immigration and support for rural and regional areas
which is mostly covered by the Japan Revitalisation
Strategy 2014.
https://www.kantei.go.jp/jp/singi/keizaisaisei/pdf/
honbunEN.pdf
SUMMARY
In summary, it is clear that Japan’s situation is unique
in the world……..at the moment. It won’t be too long
before other advanced western countries, including
Australia, begin to catch up and find itself in a similar
demographic scenario. It won’t be exactly the same,
though the lessons we can learn from Japan should
help the rest of the world prepare.
Without a strong migration policy and no signs that
the birth rate will change, there is no way for Japan
to fill the void of the declining population. In effect
the country is in a crisis. That fact in itself actually
gives me confidence that there is a strong chance
that the Society 5.0 concept (or something similar)
could actually be successfully executed in Japan.
“Necessity is the mother of invention” after all. It is
an evolution that I look forward to watching unfold,
and with significant worldwide attention about to be
focussed on Japan with the 2019 Rugby World Cup
and the 2020 Olympics, there is no better time for
Japan to step up and showcase itself to the world.
NEXT TIME: In the next EDA Journal we will look
at some of the feature case-studies and learnings
from the 2018 Study Trip which highlight Japan’s
progression towards Society 5.0, while also pointing
out some of the major challenges being faced.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bruce Marshall is the Economic Development & Tourism
Coordinator at Melton City Council in Victoria. He first visited
Japan in 2000 and has been a regular visitor for the past 19
years.
In 2018 Bruce was a recipient of the EDA International Study
Tour scholarship. Bruce’s 10 day trip to Japan included
attendance at the Aging and Society Conference in Tokyo, and
featured various site visits and interviews relevant to Japan’s
aging & shrinking population. A full copy of the study tour
report is available on the EDA website.
Alternatively you can learn more about the study trip and other
related stories on Bruce’s blog: http://superagedsociety.blog
VOL.12 NO.1 2019 | 36