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because the productivity per unit area is not high, private enterprises cannot easily
undertake such ventures. It may be that there is a necessity to reorganize the delineation with respect to how far the state should be involved and from where private
enterprises should be left to their own devices.
Yoshikawa It varies from industry to industry, but I would like to see the government doing everything it should.
Komiyama Renewable energy has seen growth because the government created a
system whereby they buy renewables at a fixed price.
Yoshikawa There are some people who claim that it created a bubble, but if you
look at it holistically, I believe this is just a part of the ups and downs. I think that
there is a great role to be played by the country and the government.
Komiyama I also think so.
Yoshikawa The government must, I believe, play a role as a coordinator. That is to
say, responding to the problems related to the environment and energy, and the
aging society is certainly necessary for humanity in the twenty-first century. It
seems to me that, as opposed to having a single industry solve a given problem, such
as the aging society, for example, that the entire system will need to be revamped. It
seems that everything, like buildings, transportation, and distribution – almost
everything as we know it – will change.
Konishi Yes, the industrial structure changing to that of the Platinum Society.
Yoshikawa The technology developed in each specialized field has to be bundled
together and integrated horizontally, so that what are essential should be produced
at the end.
Komiyama I believe that we are entering an era where that will be possible. If we
can appropriately combine technologies and knowledge we already have, it can be
done. That’s why the horizontal axis becomes important.
Yoshikawa For example, the vehicles used in the emergency medical field will
probably become smart cars, but that means that the departments that become the
destination points for those emergency vehicles will also have to incorporate new
technology and change. This is where it becomes necessary that there be a coordinator for facilitating the horizontal integration.
Komiyama If an attempt were made to configure the emergency medical system
by new technology such as drones, GPSs, smart cars, etc., it would run up against
the vertical hierarchy of the government bureaucracy. So, I believe that this is the
type of problem that needs to be solved by the government.
Interview
because the productivity per unit area is not high, private enterprises cannot easily
undertake such ventures. It may be that there is a necessity to reorganize the delineation with respect to how far the state should be involved and from where private
enterprises should be left to their own devices.
Yoshikawa It varies from industry to industry, but I would like to see the government doing everything it should.
Komiyama Renewable energy has seen growth because the government created a
system whereby they buy renewables at a fixed price.
Yoshikawa There are some people who claim that it created a bubble, but if you
look at it holistically, I believe this is just a part of the ups and downs. I think that
there is a great role to be played by the country and the government.
Komiyama I also think so.
Yoshikawa The government must, I believe, play a role as a coordinator. That is to
say, responding to the problems related to the environment and energy, and the
aging society is certainly necessary for humanity in the twenty-first century. It
seems to me that, as opposed to having a single industry solve a given problem, such
as the aging society, for example, that the entire system will need to be revamped. It
seems that everything, like buildings, transportation, and distribution – almost
everything as we know it – will change.
Konishi Yes, the industrial structure changing to that of the Platinum Society.
Yoshikawa The technology developed in each specialized field has to be bundled
together and integrated horizontally, so that what are essential should be produced
at the end.
Komiyama I believe that we are entering an era where that will be possible. If we
can appropriately combine technologies and knowledge we already have, it can be
done. That’s why the horizontal axis becomes important.
Yoshikawa For example, the vehicles used in the emergency medical field will
probably become smart cars, but that means that the departments that become the
destination points for those emergency vehicles will also have to incorporate new
technology and change. This is where it becomes necessary that there be a coordinator for facilitating the horizontal integration.
Komiyama If an attempt were made to configure the emergency medical system
by new technology such as drones, GPSs, smart cars, etc., it would run up against
the vertical hierarchy of the government bureaucracy. So, I believe that this is the
type of problem that needs to be solved by the government.
Interview