xxxv
There are thus hints to the answer in education, health, tourism, and services, all
of which have become increasingly important in a platinum society.
The concept of “Society in the Loop” has been discussed in relation to artificial
intelligence. It means that society participates in the loop of the development of
artificial intelligence. If society participates and artificial intelligence evolves
through trial and error, ethical issues as well as the fear that artificial intelligence
may take away people’s jobs can potentially be overcome.
Society Where Children Will Be Born
If asked to cite just one important issue confronting Japan, it would be the declining
birth rate. Ethnic groups whose fertility rate falls below 2, or more precisely 2.05,
will eventually disappear. Population projections are simple. That is because if 30 is
the peak maternal age, those who will give birth within the next 30 years are women
who are currently 0–30 years old, and that population size has already been determined. Taking that into consideration, the accuracy of the projection that the population will fall below 100 million to 97 million by 2050 is high. If we do not act now,
Japan will clearly fall into a crisis because of the population decline and high senior
ratio. Ultimately, what good is it to create a society in which young people do not
want to have children? If people can freely choose how they want to work, how they
want to raise children, how they want to live, have diverse employment opportunities, and no more anxieties about the future of our environment and resources, people will have hope for the future. Accordingly, they will probably hope to have a
family and children.
A platinum society is a society where people who lead a normal life can have a
family and raise children, if they so wish.
Knowledge Structuring Will Lead to Solutions
Innovation is indispensable in an era of transition, but it is not often the case that
great inventions and discoveries to the extent of being worthy of receiving the Nobel
Prize are necessary. Mankind already possesses a great deal of knowledge. For
example, photosynthesis is a process in which light is used as the energy source to
produce sugar and carbohydrates from CO 2 and water in the chloroplasts of plants.
During the nineteenth century, this was the extent of our knowledge regarding photosynthesis. When we entered the twentieth century, however, greater intricacies
have now been discovered in succession, down to precise molecular structures. As a
result, we have now amassed a huge amount of knowledge that is possibly 10,000
times or even one million times more than before. Accumulation of such knowledge
is progressing in all areas. Yet, while the accumulation of knowledge in itself is a
good thing, no human being has a full grasp of the whole picture of this knowledge.
Preface: From “Vision 2050” to “New Vision 2050”
There are thus hints to the answer in education, health, tourism, and services, all
of which have become increasingly important in a platinum society.
The concept of “Society in the Loop” has been discussed in relation to artificial
intelligence. It means that society participates in the loop of the development of
artificial intelligence. If society participates and artificial intelligence evolves
through trial and error, ethical issues as well as the fear that artificial intelligence
may take away people’s jobs can potentially be overcome.
Society Where Children Will Be Born
If asked to cite just one important issue confronting Japan, it would be the declining
birth rate. Ethnic groups whose fertility rate falls below 2, or more precisely 2.05,
will eventually disappear. Population projections are simple. That is because if 30 is
the peak maternal age, those who will give birth within the next 30 years are women
who are currently 0–30 years old, and that population size has already been determined. Taking that into consideration, the accuracy of the projection that the population will fall below 100 million to 97 million by 2050 is high. If we do not act now,
Japan will clearly fall into a crisis because of the population decline and high senior
ratio. Ultimately, what good is it to create a society in which young people do not
want to have children? If people can freely choose how they want to work, how they
want to raise children, how they want to live, have diverse employment opportunities, and no more anxieties about the future of our environment and resources, people will have hope for the future. Accordingly, they will probably hope to have a
family and children.
A platinum society is a society where people who lead a normal life can have a
family and raise children, if they so wish.
Knowledge Structuring Will Lead to Solutions
Innovation is indispensable in an era of transition, but it is not often the case that
great inventions and discoveries to the extent of being worthy of receiving the Nobel
Prize are necessary. Mankind already possesses a great deal of knowledge. For
example, photosynthesis is a process in which light is used as the energy source to
produce sugar and carbohydrates from CO 2 and water in the chloroplasts of plants.
During the nineteenth century, this was the extent of our knowledge regarding photosynthesis. When we entered the twentieth century, however, greater intricacies
have now been discovered in succession, down to precise molecular structures. As a
result, we have now amassed a huge amount of knowledge that is possibly 10,000
times or even one million times more than before. Accumulation of such knowledge
is progressing in all areas. Yet, while the accumulation of knowledge in itself is a
good thing, no human being has a full grasp of the whole picture of this knowledge.
Preface: From “Vision 2050” to “New Vision 2050”