108
security costs. However, it is self-evident that as the population ages, these costs
will become excessive. Furthermore, through the saturation of man-made objects,
demand for something new will decline and demand will be mainly for replacement
products, causing economic growth to slow down even further. Things will not keep
going properly by simply adhering to a conventional line of thinking.
The aging of the population can be seen as the realization of longevity. Life
expectancy at the beginning of the twentieth century was merely 31 years.
Humankind has been successful in doubling life expectancy over a 100 years span,
making the dream of longevity come true. Although some elderly people require
nursing care, others are still quite healthy. Many people can still be active in society
and be independent with just a little support. The experience and knowledge that
older people have acquired over a long number of years can be put to use in the field
of education. Preventative medicine for avoiding the need for care will probably
become a new industry. The aging of society is not just comprised of risks but also
contains some kind of opportunities as well.
These issues are common to developed countries including Japan, and developing nations are bound to experience them at some point. Out of all the nations faced
with challenges, if Japan can take the initiative in facing up to these problems and
possibly take the first step towards resolution, then Japan will become a leading
country in resolving societal problems.
Figure 6.1 shows the changes in per capita GDP in major powers, with the global
per capita GDP as the standard. Humankind has negotiated various major turning
points thus far, such as the Agricultural Revolution, the Industrial Revolution, and
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
3.5
4.0
4.5
5.0
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
2000
Italy
France
United Kingdom
Germany
United States
Japan
China
India
Per Capita GDP Per Country
Agricultural Revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Platinum Revolution
Japan
Information Revolution
Fig. 6.1 Change in per capita GDP of major countries with per capita GDP in the world as the
Standard. (Created by the Author. Source: Angus Maddison: Statistics on World Population, GDP
and Per Capita GDP, 1-2008 Conference Board Total Economy Database
TM
, January 2012, http://
www.conference-board.org/data/economydatabse/)
6 Platinum Industry and a New Society
security costs. However, it is self-evident that as the population ages, these costs
will become excessive. Furthermore, through the saturation of man-made objects,
demand for something new will decline and demand will be mainly for replacement
products, causing economic growth to slow down even further. Things will not keep
going properly by simply adhering to a conventional line of thinking.
The aging of the population can be seen as the realization of longevity. Life
expectancy at the beginning of the twentieth century was merely 31 years.
Humankind has been successful in doubling life expectancy over a 100 years span,
making the dream of longevity come true. Although some elderly people require
nursing care, others are still quite healthy. Many people can still be active in society
and be independent with just a little support. The experience and knowledge that
older people have acquired over a long number of years can be put to use in the field
of education. Preventative medicine for avoiding the need for care will probably
become a new industry. The aging of society is not just comprised of risks but also
contains some kind of opportunities as well.
These issues are common to developed countries including Japan, and developing nations are bound to experience them at some point. Out of all the nations faced
with challenges, if Japan can take the initiative in facing up to these problems and
possibly take the first step towards resolution, then Japan will become a leading
country in resolving societal problems.
Figure 6.1 shows the changes in per capita GDP in major powers, with the global
per capita GDP as the standard. Humankind has negotiated various major turning
points thus far, such as the Agricultural Revolution, the Industrial Revolution, and
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
3.5
4.0
4.5
5.0
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
2000
Italy
France
United Kingdom
Germany
United States
Japan
China
India
Per Capita GDP Per Country
Agricultural Revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Platinum Revolution
Japan
Information Revolution
Fig. 6.1 Change in per capita GDP of major countries with per capita GDP in the world as the
Standard. (Created by the Author. Source: Angus Maddison: Statistics on World Population, GDP
and Per Capita GDP, 1-2008 Conference Board Total Economy Database
TM
, January 2012, http://
www.conference-board.org/data/economydatabse/)
6 Platinum Industry and a New Society