107
© The Author(s) 2018
H. Komiyama, K. Yamada, New Vision 2050, Science for Sustainable Societies,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-56623-6_6
Chapter 6
Platinum Industry and a New Society
6.1 What Is a Platinum Society?
6.1.1 Per Capita GDP and Average Life Expectancy
The problems we are facing now, which are characteristic of developed countries,
have been caused by the rapid advances of the twentieth century. As shown in the
diagram (Fig. 1: Trajectory of Sudden Expansion in Human Development in the
twentieth Century), average life expectancy worldwide and per capita GDP portray
the exact same arc. From the changes shown, we can get a solid sense of how turbulent the twentieth century was.
Until the Industrial Revolution, the rise in both average life expectancy and per
capita GDP was gradual. However, both show a steep rise from the beginning of the
twentieth century and within the space of 100 years, per capita GDP spiked six
times higher. Average life expectancy quickly reached beyond 70 years of age and
in countries famous for longevity such as Japan, average life expectancy entered
into the 80 years of age bracket. The reason why average life expectancy rose is that
because of the development of agriculture and industry, there was an increase in the
number of people who could easily obtain food. Far from that, overeating and obesity became social problems in Japan and diseases such as dementia have increased
along with the rise in longevity.
Examining closely the issues characteristic of developed countries, it all seems
to come down to global warming and the aging of society. The material culture that
expanded rapidly in the twentieth century triggered an increase in energy consumption as well as CO 2 emissions, causing global warming, and as a result, climate
change is now a reality.
Social structure also underwent major changes. As mentioned earlier, average
life expectancy worldwide is more than 70 years. Developed countries are now dealing with problems such as old-age pensions, medical expenses, and cases of dementia. Japan has covered costs for old-age pensions and medical expenses at social
© The Author(s) 2018
H. Komiyama, K. Yamada, New Vision 2050, Science for Sustainable Societies,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-56623-6_6
Chapter 6
Platinum Industry and a New Society
6.1 What Is a Platinum Society?
6.1.1 Per Capita GDP and Average Life Expectancy
The problems we are facing now, which are characteristic of developed countries,
have been caused by the rapid advances of the twentieth century. As shown in the
diagram (Fig. 1: Trajectory of Sudden Expansion in Human Development in the
twentieth Century), average life expectancy worldwide and per capita GDP portray
the exact same arc. From the changes shown, we can get a solid sense of how turbulent the twentieth century was.
Until the Industrial Revolution, the rise in both average life expectancy and per
capita GDP was gradual. However, both show a steep rise from the beginning of the
twentieth century and within the space of 100 years, per capita GDP spiked six
times higher. Average life expectancy quickly reached beyond 70 years of age and
in countries famous for longevity such as Japan, average life expectancy entered
into the 80 years of age bracket. The reason why average life expectancy rose is that
because of the development of agriculture and industry, there was an increase in the
number of people who could easily obtain food. Far from that, overeating and obesity became social problems in Japan and diseases such as dementia have increased
along with the rise in longevity.
Examining closely the issues characteristic of developed countries, it all seems
to come down to global warming and the aging of society. The material culture that
expanded rapidly in the twentieth century triggered an increase in energy consumption as well as CO 2 emissions, causing global warming, and as a result, climate
change is now a reality.
Social structure also underwent major changes. As mentioned earlier, average
life expectancy worldwide is more than 70 years. Developed countries are now dealing with problems such as old-age pensions, medical expenses, and cases of dementia. Japan has covered costs for old-age pensions and medical expenses at social