EDA Journal Vol 12. No.1 Autumn 2019 | Page 36

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