128
have built houses in Tochigi or Ibaraki prefecture and commute to their workplaces
in Tokyo by the bullet train. But if telecommuting has begun in earnest, then it is not
even necessary to live in the Kanto area. Company employees could live wherever
they wanted to, such as in Hokkaido or Okinawa. Ordinarily they would work from
their homes and go to the office by bullet train or plane when the need arises. The
diversification of transport methods and transport networks, and the development of
ICT have begun to change people’s concept of moving around.
These changes will probably change systems like the number of days people go
to work and the number of hours they work. We already have in place systems like
flextime and a reduction in the number of working hours but these systems are not
perfect. “I returned to my workplace after maternity leave under the system of
shorter working hours, but if my child comes down with a fever and I have to arrive
late and leave early, then I feel bad about this.” Some people are working like this,
afraid they are giving trouble to their colleagues. “It is difficult for me to go the
office very day now that I am busy looking after my child but I would like to work
a few hours each day from home.” Some people have the will to work but due to
problems with the system, they are unable to work. The ultimate ideal would be for
parental leave not to even be necessary. To carry this out, it would be necessary to
have an appropriate appraisal system and a fair salary structure system set in place.
This is a highly significant topic for Japan where the population is decreasing.
Through technological advances, gaps in physical and spatial terms and in terms
of time are being filled in, and working styles are being diversified. As a result of
diverse options being proposed, the number of people who chose provincial cities
may increase. For families with children, instead of having the children attend city
schools that have hardly any space for sports grounds, it could be that children are
happier racing around at full speed in schools in natural surroundings. Adults do not
have to be exhausted from commuting to work on trains and they can enjoy their
free time together with their children. These adults may choose to enjoy their own
time in their own fulfilling way. If things went like that, then the overconcentration
of people in Tokyo could be resolved.
Of course, there will always be people who prefer to live in cities. Being able to
choose the lifestyle they like and the working style most appropriate for them is
what is meaningful.
6.5.3 Spread of Multi-habitation
For the most part, we have succeeded in acquiring most of what humankind sought
after in the twentieth century. People in developed countries do not live in want of
housing, food, and clothing, and have been successful in evading the fear of dying
due to a marked rise in longevity. Because of advances in means of transport and
also in ICT, physical and spatial distances are narrowing more and more. People of
today must decide on how to live in a world this free.
6 Platinum Industry and a New Society
have built houses in Tochigi or Ibaraki prefecture and commute to their workplaces
in Tokyo by the bullet train. But if telecommuting has begun in earnest, then it is not
even necessary to live in the Kanto area. Company employees could live wherever
they wanted to, such as in Hokkaido or Okinawa. Ordinarily they would work from
their homes and go to the office by bullet train or plane when the need arises. The
diversification of transport methods and transport networks, and the development of
ICT have begun to change people’s concept of moving around.
These changes will probably change systems like the number of days people go
to work and the number of hours they work. We already have in place systems like
flextime and a reduction in the number of working hours but these systems are not
perfect. “I returned to my workplace after maternity leave under the system of
shorter working hours, but if my child comes down with a fever and I have to arrive
late and leave early, then I feel bad about this.” Some people are working like this,
afraid they are giving trouble to their colleagues. “It is difficult for me to go the
office very day now that I am busy looking after my child but I would like to work
a few hours each day from home.” Some people have the will to work but due to
problems with the system, they are unable to work. The ultimate ideal would be for
parental leave not to even be necessary. To carry this out, it would be necessary to
have an appropriate appraisal system and a fair salary structure system set in place.
This is a highly significant topic for Japan where the population is decreasing.
Through technological advances, gaps in physical and spatial terms and in terms
of time are being filled in, and working styles are being diversified. As a result of
diverse options being proposed, the number of people who chose provincial cities
may increase. For families with children, instead of having the children attend city
schools that have hardly any space for sports grounds, it could be that children are
happier racing around at full speed in schools in natural surroundings. Adults do not
have to be exhausted from commuting to work on trains and they can enjoy their
free time together with their children. These adults may choose to enjoy their own
time in their own fulfilling way. If things went like that, then the overconcentration
of people in Tokyo could be resolved.
Of course, there will always be people who prefer to live in cities. Being able to
choose the lifestyle they like and the working style most appropriate for them is
what is meaningful.
6.5.3 Spread of Multi-habitation
For the most part, we have succeeded in acquiring most of what humankind sought
after in the twentieth century. People in developed countries do not live in want of
housing, food, and clothing, and have been successful in evading the fear of dying
due to a marked rise in longevity. Because of advances in means of transport and
also in ICT, physical and spatial distances are narrowing more and more. People of
today must decide on how to live in a world this free.
6 Platinum Industry and a New Society