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Japan is one of the oldest and key economies in East Asia. Situated on a small land base, the country is home to 127 million people, with 6.1 million men and 6.5 million women. The country is mostly mountainous with 85% coverage but also very urbanized and industrialized. The three main metropolitan areas are Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya and are located in the lowlands, along with the agricultural lands. Since there is competition for agriculture and human settlement, Japan follows very intensive farming practices. Japan has a very large population density which has been rising – 342 per sq km in 2009 (Statistics Bureau, 2016). With people migrating to big cities, the mainland industrial belt is very crowded (Rowntree et al., 2016). Japanese cities are known to have restricted living spaces and tall buildings. The country is also witness to many natural disasters like earthquakes and tsunamis, which brings much despair and death, in addition to destruction of key infrastructure like airports, roads, rail and bridges.
Though the government has invested billions in securing almost 40% of its coastline against tsunamis, the 2011 tsunami caused widespread destruction. Japan is very dependent on nuclear energy, but the tsunami of 2011 destroyed the Fukushima Daiichi reactor and brought to light the deficiencies in nuclear safety and security. More than 200,000 people had to be evacuated because of the radiation fallout. Since the year 2000, the rate of population growth has been very low and is negligible or negative, currently. Japan’s large population and industrialization notwithstanding, the country has fewer environmental issues compared to its other East Asia neighbors, like China. Since the 1950s and 60s the Japanese government has implemented very strict environmental norms. Although Japan produces most of its rice, the country imports meat and other products from US, Australia, Brazil and Canada. Japan has made globalization a priority. Since the rapid industrialization in the post world war II period, it has made rapid strides to export cars, machine tools, computers, electronics and other goods and became a world renowned producer. It was in the forefront of the global economy in the 1960s and 1970s. Since the 1990s, however, the economy has slowed down and is showing a slower growth rate. Japan still remains as a key power in the global economy and is a world leader in robotics, machine tools for the semi conductor industry. Today it is the largest in video gaming, animation and other films. Unemployment and poverty numbers are lower as compared to the U.S. With a rapidly ageing population and the decrease of the working population, Japan has implemented robotics in a big way to augment manufacturing and other services. Sales of robots globally have increased and touched 229,261 units in 2014, according to International Federation of Robotics (2015). With the rapid increase in digital technology and innovation across the technology spectrum, many countries and multi-national technology giants are implementing new automated and intelligent ways to do things – like driverless cars for example. There is a clear indication that industrial robots are in great demand worldwide, with a growth of 48% from 2010 to 2014. Japan had robot sales of 29,300 (growth of 17%) and since 2013, it has become the second largest market for robots (IFR, 2015). The rise in use of robots has been primarily seen in the manufacturing sector like in automobile, electronic and allied industries.
These industries have driven innovation and embraced use of robots to increase productivity and business growth. Robots have been used in Japan not only in manufacturing but have become part of the social fabric; with pet robots and service robots in restaurants, hotels and so on. Robots have also claimed pride of place in medicine, healing and R&D. Japan is also a leader in export of robots and commands more than 50% share, globally (METI, 2015). In a research conducted by Japanese experts, it was found that about 49% of occupations or close to 600 jobs could be automated and robotized in the next decade or two (Nichols, 2015). With more than 25% of the Japanese population being above 65 years, it is imperative for Japan to embrace and implement a robotics transformation to supplement the declining labor force. In addition to the manufacturing of products, key areas like elder care services and similar services will be automated by robotics (Nichols, 2015). The government led by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, is envisioning a robot revolution in Japan (Fensom, 2015). Today, robots are serving customers in department stores and banks too. The aim of the government initiative is to use robots in every part of Japanese economy and society. Besides shortages in labor, Japan faces intense competition from many other countries, like China, which are becoming rapidly robotized and have emerged as cost effective manufacturing destinations for global companies. In order to sustain its growth and economic success, Japan needs to effectively use robots to increase productivity and lower costs. The use of robots will help Japan remain competitive in an increasingly automated and globalized world. Japan needs to maintain its leadership in robotics to increase productivity, competitiveness and GDP. More than JPY 20 trillion was lost due to lower production since 2006 (METI, 2015). Robotics in Japan is a focus industry and has seen rapid strides in the type of robots used and their capabilities. Today robots are not only doing mundane, repetitive activities, but are involved in autonomous behavior and come equipped with self learning capabilities. This transformation has been enabled by innovations in technology and the pressures of new business models. More advancement is expected from these technologies, which will make robots recognize images, voices, senses and process more information and data. This transformation will help integrate robots into the core of Japanese society and culture. However, there should be efforts to create a society free of barriers to robots, to help engage children, adults and elders with humane robots. Implementing a robotics initiative is no longer an option for Japan – it is an imperative to deliver and sustain economic growth and success.
References
Statistics Bureau. “Population Estimates”. Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.
stat.go.jp, 2016. Web. 24 February 2016.
Rowntree et al. “Globalization and Diversity: Geography of a Changing World”. New York:
Pearson, 2016. Print.
International Federation of Robotics. “Industrial Robot Statistics”. IFR. ifr.org., 2015. Web.
24 February 2016.
Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. “New Robot Strategy”. METI. Meti.go.jp, 2015. Web.
24 February 2016.
Nichols, G. “Half of Japan's jobs could soon be filled by robots (and that's good news)”. ZDNet,
zdnet.com, 2015. Web. 24 February 2016.
Fensom, A. “Japan’s Robot Revolution”. The Diplomat. thediplomat.com, 2015. Web.
24 February 2016.
