Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s came to power in 2012, since then the policy initiatives for addressing Japan’s major structural challenges have proliferated. The prominent policy of Abenomics has been complimented by a womenomics spinoff focused on empowering women in the workforce. While these reforms have made some headway, they have struggled with vested interests and deeply entrenched patterns of behavior. More recently a new initiative has been added to Abe’s policy portfolio: “Society 5.0”.  Society 5.0 was proposed at the 5th Science and Technology Basic Plan as a future society that Japan should aspire to implement. It follows the hunting society (Society 1.0), agricultural society (Society 2.0), industrial society (Society 3.0), and information society (Society 4.0). Through the integration of physical and cyber realms, in Society 5.0 technological developments in the area of Internet of Things(IoT), Artificial Intelligence(AI) and others can be applied to overcome the social problems that Japan has been struggling with.

In the past information society, the common practice was to collect information via the network and have it analyzed by humans. However in Society 5.0, a huge amount of information from sensors in physical space is accumulated in cyberspace through IoT. In cyberspace, this big data is analyzed by artificial intelligence, and the analysis results are fed back to humans in physical space in various forms.This process brings new value to industry and society in ways not previously possible. The growing incorporation of cyber and AI into business and society certainly holds great promise for Japan, a country that has been struggling to implement solutions to address long-standing problems of limited economic growth, an aging and shrinking population, and the decline of rural areas. In this context, highly repetitive jobs that require low skill can be increasingly automated, while big data opens up possibilities for identifying more effective allocation of resources, doing more with less and improving the overall efficiency.

In the field of mobility, new value can be generated through AI analysis of big data in a database spanning diverse types of information including sensor data from automobiles, real-time information on the weather, traffic, accommodations, and food and drink, and personal history. The benefits are making traveling and sightseeing easier by taking weather, congestion etc., into account, making movement smooth by combining car sharing services, public transportation etc.,

Drones could be used to reach people living in remote areas, overcoming issues resulting from shrinking rural populations. Smart energy grids could reduce the overall demand for power by maximizing existing infrastructure. With disaster preparation, new technologies could be particularly important in prevention by improving communications and early warning systems. These are just some of the ways improvements in data management could open up new possibilities for Japan.

Contrary to the above, there are a lot of negative things to consider as well. For instance, while the use of big data and AI may help address a shrinking workforce, it could also result in many people capable of working being unemployed or under-employed. There is a related risk of over-reliance on technology, leaving major weaknesses in the structure of society. Big data and AI algorithms may be a boon for efficiency, but it raises  questions or concerns related to surveillance and manipulation, privacy, responsibility and transparency.

Japan aims to become the first country in the world to achieve a human-centered society (Society 5.0) in which anyone can enjoy a high quality of life full of vigor by incorporating advanced technologies in diverse industries, social activities and fostering innovation to create a new value. However, there is a need for a much more transparent accounting of the possible downsides surrounding this transition as well, and further consideration of how some of the risks can be minimized.

Credits:
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2019/06/05/commentary/japan-commentary/security-society-5-0/
https://www8.cao.go.jp/cstp/english/society5_0/index.html