The population of Japan is only getting smaller as the population gets older. According to the PRB (Population Reference Bureau) almost one fourth of Japans population was 65 years or older.
This number is expected to decline significantly, by 2055 the population is predicted to shrink from 127 million to 90 million people.
With the dwindling workforce, who will be able to take care of the elderly?
Introduce robots into the scene. Robots are seen as a potential solution to the population problem versus the politically sticky solution of allowing large numbers of foreign immigrants to fill much-needed health care positions and low-skill service-oriented roles.
In Japan, foreign workers only make up about 2% compared to the 15% in the U.S. Some reports suggest Japans government has a strong xenophobic attitude towards immigration.
It’s still unknown whether Japan will choose a long-term solution to its population issues by allowing more foreign workers or increased use of robots.
Brandon VanLoon
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