Fourth Industrial Revolution in Japan: Technology to Address Social Challenges

Gyupan Kim (), Hyongkun Lee (), Boram Lee (), Jungeun Lee () and Wonju Son ()
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Gyupan Kim: KOREA INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC POLICY (KIEP), Postal: [30147] , Building C, Sejong National Research Complex, , 370, Sicheong-daero, , Sejong-si, Korea,, https://www.kiep.go.kr/eng/
Hyongkun Lee: KOREA INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC POLICY (KIEP), Postal: [30147] , Building C, Sejong National Research Complex, , 370, Sicheong-daero, , Sejong-si, Korea,, https://www.kiep.go.kr/eng/
Boram Lee: KOREA INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC POLICY (KIEP), Postal: [30147] , Building C, Sejong National Research Complex, , 370, Sicheong-daero, , Sejong-si, Korea,, https://www.kiep.go.kr/eng/
Jungeun Lee: KOREA INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC POLICY (KIEP), Postal: [30147] , Building C, Sejong National Research Complex, , 370, Sicheong-daero, , Sejong-si, Korea,, https://www.kiep.go.kr/eng/
Wonju Son: KOREA INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC POLICY (KIEP), Postal: [30147] , Building C, Sejong National Research Complex, , 370, Sicheong-daero, , Sejong-si, Korea,, https://www.kiep.go.kr/eng/

No 21-2, World Economy Brief from Korea Institute for International Economic Policy

Abstract: In Japan, the challenges posed by its low birthrate and aging population expanded rapidly with the collapse of the bubble economy in the early 1990s, and in March 2011, energy and environmental problems such as power supply shortages and nuclear radiation issues occurred in the wake of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Fukushima nuclear accident. Also, with the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic in January 2020, digital transformation has emerged as a social challenge. In particular, Japan's aging population combined with a decrease in the working age population, has caused the government to face fiscal crisis due to the burden of social insurance, and a sense of crisis of labor shortage in the medical, manufacturing and logistics sectors. This is also leading to a sense of crisis at local governments as well, seen with the collapse of the medical service supply system under "Tokyo centralization," the rapid increase of the vulnerable in transportation due to the super-aging of rural areas, and the risk of extinction of local communities. The analysis on the healthcare and medical care sectors was conducted in chapter 2, and the manufacturing, mobility, and logistics sectors in Chapter 3, and the local revitalization in Chapter 4 respectively. And chapter 5 of conclusion remarks presents policy implications for the Korean government.

Keywords: Japan; Fourth Industrial Revolution; social challenge; digital transformation; government (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 8 pages
Date: 2021-01-28
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-age and nep-ene
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