{"id":12609,"date":"2015-01-15T16:10:56","date_gmt":"2015-01-16T02:10:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.debito.org\/?p=12609"},"modified":"2015-01-16T09:32:57","modified_gmt":"2015-01-16T19:32:57","slug":"yomiuri-goj-sky-pie-policy-proposes-to-deal-with-population-decrease-in-rural-areas-with-robots-rural-resettlement-info-websites","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/?p=12609","title":{"rendered":"Yomiuri: GOJ sky-pie policy proposes to deal with rural population decrease with resettlement info websites, and robots!"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Hi Blog. \u00a0Getting back to issues of Japan’s future, here is the GOJ\u00a0once again last August offering another trial-balloon half-measure to reverse Japan’s population decline (especially in its rural areas): \u00a0A database! \u00a0And robots!<\/p>\n

Of course, the Yomiuri diligently types it down and offers it up uncritically, with the typical pride of showing off “Japan’s stuff”. \u00a0The policy assumption is that if you offer people information, they’ll magically want to move out to the countryside — up to now they were just chary\u00a0because they didn’t know where they could get an onigiri<\/em>\u00a0in Nakamura-son, Inaka-Ken.<\/p>\n

That’s unrealistic. \u00a0It’s not a matter of lack of information. \u00a0It’s a matter of lack of economic opportunity for Japan’s largely white-collar labor force (the “potential migrants” being mentioned, of course, are Japanese) being offered out in\u00a0The Boonies. \u00a0Hasn’t the GOJ gotten the memo yet after more than a quarter century of\u00a0Japanese turning their noses away\u00a0from 3K blue-collar work<\/a>? \u00a0Not to mention the inevitable\u00a0“Taro-come-lately” outsider treatment from the locals that greets many Japanese urbanites deciding to move out of the cities<\/a>? \u00a0Fact is, Japan’s ruralities are even\u00a0giving their land away for free<\/em><\/a>, and it’s not stemming the exodus from.<\/p>\n

No matter: \u00a0Just\u00a0build it and they’ll come. \u00a0Hasn’t the GOJ learned anything from the Bubble Era?<\/p>\n

Moreover, how about that other proposal below of introducing more\u00a0robots in service areas to produce the 3K stuff?<\/p>\n

Laced within that Industrial Policy is an\u00a0appeal to national pride, as in Japan’s\u00a0future as a world leader in robot use (without the actual substance of practicality behind it). \u00a0Ooh, our robots can produce bentos? \u00a0Can yours, France? \u00a0Then what: build robots to consume what robots produce? \u00a0No matter what, offering robots as replacements for humans in the labor market inevitably overlooks how this does nothing to revitalize\u00a0Japan’s taxpayer base, because ROBOTS DO NOT PAY TAXES.<\/p>\n

There is another option, the unmentionable: \u00a0Immigrants assuming the mantle of Japan’s farming economy and rural maintenance<\/a>. \u00a0No, you see, that would be a security risk<\/a>. \u00a0Too high a local foreign population would mean those areas might secede from Japan! \u00a0(Seriously, that is the argument made<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

Anyway, another pavement stone in the road to policy failure. \u00a0As we start a new year,\u00a0I’d just mention it for the record. \u00a0Dr. ARUDOU, Debito<\/p>\n

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/<\/p>\n

Japan in Depth \/ Govt tackles population decline<\/strong>
\n The Yomiuri Shimbun<\/strong>
\n August 26, 2014, courtesy of Peach<\/strong>
\nhttp:\/\/the-japan-news.com\/news\/article\/0001522944<\/a><\/p>\n

Migration info database eyed<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

In an effort to address population declines in provincial areas, the government plans to create a database to provide people thinking of moving from urban to regional areas with information about potential destinations, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The government hopes to encourage more urbanites to move to regional areas by making it possible for them to extensively search for information on such issues as residency and welfare services anywhere in the country, according to informed sources.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Expenses to set up the database reportedly will be included in the fiscal 2015 budgetary request.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Using the database, potential migrants would be able to quickly obtain information on workplaces and job offers; schools and education; medical institutions and social welfare services; and shopping, the sources said.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Information provided directly from regional areas will be input into the database by Hello Work job placement offices and other entities, as well as by municipal governments trying to encourage urbanites to take up residency in their cities.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Municipalities facing serious population declines have individually offered information about job offers as well as available accommodation. The planned database will enable people thinking about moving to regional areas to view this information collectively, the sources said.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

For example, if a resident of an urban community is considering a move to a prefecture in the Tohoku region, the database could be used to find areas meeting their needs by comparing information, such as what kind of jobs are available or the locations of schools.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Along with the database, the central government reportedly plans to establish offices to help people living in large cities move to provincial areas. The government hopes potential migrants will consult with counselors or obtain more detailed information at the offices, the sources said.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Among people interested in moving to regional areas, some are believed to be hesitant about making the move because of a lack of information about life outside major urban areas. The database is aimed at addressing that concern, they said.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

More robots in service industry planned<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The government plans to promote the development of robots for use in the service industry, such as at hotels and pubs, to cope with the industry\u2019s worsening problems of labor shortages and heavy workloads, according to sources.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

In September, the government is expected to establish a panel dubbed the \u201ccommittee for the realization of the robot revolution,\u201d which will comprise manufacturers and users of robots, and plans to subsidize programs judged to have bright prospects.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry intends to include \u00a55 billion in its budgetary requests for fiscal 2015 for robot development and related projects.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The government envisages robots for such jobs as cleaning the stairs and bathrooms of hotels and changing bed sheets. It is also considering developing robots for use at factories, such as robots that pack bento boxes. The plan is to have such robots on the market within three years, the sources said.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The utilization of robots in the service industry has been lagging behind the manufacturing industry, as robot makers have made development for the manufacturing industry a higher priority because of higher prices.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Even so, some robots are already in use in the service industry. For example, some Japanese-style inns have introduced a robot capable of automatically delivering a large amount of meals near guestrooms, which has helped improve the efficiency of the inns\u2019 services.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The government believes the widespread use of robots could dramatically reduce the burden of service industry workers.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

It has set a goal of expanding the market size of robots for the nonmanufacturing sector, such as the service industry, to \u00a51.2 trillion in 2020\u2014about 20 times larger than that in 2012. The development of robots in nursing care and agriculture is progressing, so the government is aiming to expand robot development to other industries so Japan can lead the world in the utilization of robots.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

ENDS<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Yomiuri: In an effort to address population declines in provincial areas, the government plans to create a database to provide people thinking of moving from urban to regional areas with information about potential destinations, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned. The government hopes to encourage more urbanites to move to regional areas by making it possible for them to extensively search for information on such issues as residency and welfare services anywhere in the country…<\/p>\n

The government plans to promote the development of robots for use in the service industry, such as at hotels and pubs, to cope with the industry\u2019s worsening problems of labor shortages and heavy workloads, according to sources. In September, the government is expected to establish a panel dubbed the \u201ccommittee for the realization of the robot revolution,\u201d which will comprise manufacturers and users of robots, and plans to subsidize programs judged to have bright prospects.<\/p>\n

COMMENT: Of course, the Yomiuri diligently types it down and offers it up uncritically, with the typical pride of showing off “Japan’s stuff”. The policy assumption is that if you offer people information, they’ll magically want to move out to the countryside — up to now they were just chary because they didn’t know where they could get an onigiri in Nakamura-son, Inaka-Ken. <\/p>\n

That’s unrealistic. It’s not a matter of lack of information. It’s a matter of lack of economic opportunity for Japan’s largely white-collar labor force (the “potential migrants” being mentioned, of course, are Japanese) being offered out in The Boonies. Hasn’t the GOJ gotten the memo yet after more than a quarter century of Japanese turning their noses away from 3K blue-collar work? Not to mention the inevitable “Taro-come-lately” outsider treatment from the locals that greets many Japanese urbanites deciding to move out of the cities? Fact is, Japan’s ruralities are even giving their land away for FREE, and it’s not stemming the exodus from.<\/p>\n

Moreover, how about that other proposal below of introducing more robots in service areas to produce the 3K stuff? Laced within that Industrial Policy is an appeal to national pride, as in Japan’s future as a world leader in robot use (without the actual substance of practicality behind it). Ooh, our robots can produce bentos? Can yours, France? Then what: build robots to consume what robots produce? No matter what, offering robots as replacements for humans in the labor market inevitably overlooks how this does nothing to revitalize Japan’s taxpayer base, because ROBOTS DO NOT PAY TAXES.<\/p>\n

There is another option, the unmentionable: Immigrants assuming the mantle of Japan’s farming economy and rural maintenance. No, you see, that would be a security risk. Too high a local foreign population would mean those areas might secede from Japan! (Seriously, that is the argument made.)…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43,36,22,19,34,5,26,4,16,13,60,53],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12609","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bad-business-practices","category-bad-social-science","category-cultural-issue","category-education","category-exclusionism","category-human-rights","category-ironies-hypocrisies","category-japanese-government","category-labor-issues","category-media","category-nj-voices-ignored","category-unsustainable-japanese-society"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12609","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12609"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12609\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12609"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12609"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12609"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}