The ®evolution Continues
5 x 5
Japan-World | BEYOND 2020
Signal ≠ Noise
Wireless Watch Japan debuted in 2001 as a weekly email newsletter, and since then the mobile industry has become essential to daily life worldwide. We were fortunate to be based at ‘ground zero’ in Tokyo and diligent in pursuing this space from the beginning. It’s been an honour and pleasure to serve! Today, we are ‘good to go’ for the next big adventure.
It’s been busy – always interesting – and we look forward to building for the next cycle, Beyond 2020. Can you imagine, Whooosh.. what it will be like in another 20 years from now?
Sign-up via form here and take a quick moment to say Hello!
While 5G and IoT (Ai-xR) tech. will continue to be key topics, we see a far larger story emerging from Japan: Society 5.0. As with Wireless Watch, our position remains: to discover, analyse and report the unique and valuable intelligence on activity here with strong potential to impact global markets. Take a moment to review the initial brief materials below.
Hopefully, we have your attention from past efforts and there is genuine interest in maintaining our connection. Ideally, our new ‘5×5’ newsletter will be worthy in your opinion for time spent, indeed, the ®evolution Continues. Yoroshiku!
Hello.. World..
東京 日本
2019 World Economic Forum, Davos
excerpt from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s keynote: Toward a New Era of “Hope-Driven Economy”
We had better act now, because coming into being every single day is more than 2.5 quintillion bytes of data, which is, according to one estimate, as much as two hundred fifty thousand times the printed material in the U.S. Library of Congress. We must, on one hand, be able to put our personal data and data embodying intellectual property, national security intelligence, and so on, under careful protection, while on the other hand, we must enable the free flow of medical, industrial, traffic and other useful, non-personal, anonymous data to see no borders, repeat, no borders.
The regime we must build is one for D.F.F.T. — Data Free Flow with Trust — non-personal data, needless to say.
It is not the big, capital intensive industries, but rather we individuals who will benefit from both the fourth industrial revolution and what we call “Society 5.0” which this fourth industrial revolution will bring about. In Society 5.0, it is no longer capital but data that connects and drives everything, helping to fill the gap between the rich and the less privileged.
Our task is obvious. We must make data a great gap buster. Through AI, IoT and robotics, the data-driven Society 5.0 will bring about a new reality for urbanity. Our cities will be made much more livable for all sorts of people from all walks of life. To that end, the promise I made 5 years ago still holds today, I will continue to work as a drill bit, drilling through outdated regulations to change them. The engine for growth, if you think about it, is fueled no longer by gasoline, but more and more by digital data.
Brief: Society 5.0
The integration of cyber and physical world data inputs – combined for shared benefit – of academia, business, citizens and government.
It’s likely you have heard of Industry 4.0, focused on digital and the enterprise, pioneered in Germany and originally introduced at the Hanover Fair in 2011. The Japanese approach goes well beyond, with a stated scope – and supporting funding – that is truly breathtaking. As with the made-in-Japan mobile internet era of the late 90s, we expect Society 5.0 developments to have significant implications globally over the coming years.
We have closely followed the progress of this project, since it was announced in January 2016, collecting massive amounts of material along the way. Suffice to say there’s real potential for disruption and opportunity, and yet just like the early days of mobile, it’s a universal issue evolving off-the-radar in Japan.
For more background on Society 5.0 see this overview [.pdf] by the Japanese Business Federation for the G20 Summit held in Osaka. The full Basic Plan document provided by Cabinet Office is a fantastic read; their core position statement is well defined and fully detailed in English and it’s worth a deeper dive [.pdf].
We are prepared to Build a Dedicated Reports Portal on the topic, and this is our Call for Confirmation of Interest. Naturally there is the typical balance of revenue model on time spent and how to reconcile that metric is critical in this case. We have produced many reports over the years, usually with a narrow focus for clients under NDA. We plan to proceed by offering a generous Patron Supporter plan, based on targeted Report Sections below.
Japan’s Science, Technology and Innovation Council launched in 1995, with Basic Plans set on five-year terms. Budgeted at 1% of GDP, operating directly within the Cabinet Office and chaired by the Prime Minister with all relevant ministers at the table, this is Japan’s strategic national government policy process.
While highly simplified, the agenda of current 5th Basic Plan is ‘data capture everything’, from education to energy, finance to food and healthcare to homes, for interpreted feedback results. It’s a fairly bold vision of the future, with Japanese sensibilities.
Data is not the new oil; for better or worse, it’s the new nuclear.
Society 5.0 Report Sections
consumer and industrial robot design
No doubt Japan has deep roots in robotic engineering, from Asimo to Wabot, with the majority global market share in factory automation led by Fanuc and Yaskawa. In fact, Japan exported approx. $1.6-Bn worth of robotic products in 2016 alone, more than Germany, France, Italy, the US and South Korea combined. Our first dig into this segment, from university labs through to traditional and next-gen players, has been enlightening and we’re sure this ‘smart machines’ section will provide a revealing peek into the future.
machine learning – agile interpretation
The Japanese NPO for AI marked its 30th anniversary a few years ago, noting that patents for machine learning were filed in the 1980s. Globally we find that 11 of the top 20 companies, by volume and value of patent families, are based in Japan. Considering the central data capture and analytics premise of Society 5.0, it could be that AI will actually mean All Information. As with robotics above; there is also demonstrated software history here, read the original aibo press release, circa 1999, for case in point.
security at the speed of light
Basic research on THz submillimeter wave goes back over a decade and has achieved 80-Gbps wireless data rate in labs here. With the IOWN Global Forum by Intel, NTT and Sony, plus Mitsubishi Bank and Akamai Distributed Ledger project at 10-million transactions per second, and Quantum related tech, this space is moving fast. Based on the Data Free Flow with Trust concept, the so-called ‘Control Tower’ to securely manage colossal amounts of daily data will be an extremely important capability, and not just in Japan.
smart cities – living labs
Led by Panasonic and partners, the Fujisawa Sustainable Smart Town opened in 2014 on former factory land near Tokyo. With 600 housing units and 3,000 citizens, their sharp focus on advanced smart-grid eco-friendly design served as showcase for the new CityNow project in Denver. Beyond mere technology, its shared community features of mobility, security and wellness are also essential aspects. This physical world fusion of data efficiencies is real-life proof of how digital will serve microcities in the future.
material sciences
From fabrics to glass, from R&D labs to the streets, solutions have become increasingly sophisticated, with talented players aiming at both consumer and corporate markets.
sensor networks
Sensors need power - battery or hard line. What if they could harvest enough juice from thin air? Energy harvesting is just one of the many IoT topic areas to be covered.
mass transport
Japan rail operators see +2Bn subway rides monthly while new Maglev set world speed records. Now, a public-private consortium is hard at work on flying cars - no kidding!
fintech
In early 2017, 60% of all Bitcoin owned was via transactions in Yen, is Satoshi Japanese? The push for 'cashless' is strong, but what's really going on & who are the key players?
entrepreneurs
There has been a paradigm shift here in the start-up arena over the last few years, well beyond a chaos map. It will be a major part of our report - across all segment verticals.
alternate realities
While Sony PSVR rules the head-mount display market, we have seen HaloLens and Magic Leap inking recent deals. xR related tech. is ascendant -remember Pokeman Go!
space
In 2005, JAXA flew the first mission to land on an asteroid, collect samples and return to Earth. Now, search for Hayabusa2, the Lunar Gateway, iSpace or ALE sky canvas.
energy
The post-Fukushima era has triggered new viable approaches with increased efficiency and alternate fuel options. From home solar and hybrid vehicles to industrial Hydrogen.
environment
Clearly a hot topic: the Japan Meteorology Agency has a wealth of precise data, which will be useful for climate related discussion. We have tons of material on this key area.
health
Japan is ground-zero for aging populations, from advanced imaging solutions to remote care, pharma and robots, all with universal applications based on documented results.
community
The intention of Society 5.0 to support communities at large has risks and rewards. Demonstrating its promise will be essential therefore detailing how it worked is crucial.
tourism
Japan recorded a four-fold jump in annual visitors over the past six years. This offers many lessons for other locations aiming to capitalize on the global growth in tourism.
food for thought
History of Collaboration
A rare Steve Jobs interview on his experience working with Dr. Joseph Juran focused on quality and design. Joe spent his career on exchanges between East and West, see this paper that he wrote on Quality Circles in mid-1960s [.pdf], and was obviously a huge influence. It’s widely known SPJ had a deep affinity for Japan, beyond those black turtlenecks; Kobun Otogawa was his Zen spiritual mentor for decades. Dr. Juran made strong connections with major figures in the post-war era including, and maybe most noteworthy, Dr. Ishikawa. The point being that there is a certain, if subtle, foundation we intend to include within this project as a powerful basis for learning from the past while building for the future.
Play Video
Modern Quality Circle Result
The Asahi Shimbun, one of Japan’s leading newspapers, launched the A-port crowdfunding platform in early 2015. This concept won their ‘new business creation contest’ for internal employees and is an excellent example of Japan’s current approach to the future of digital business and society. Since the platform is operated by a major media brand, the world’s second-largest daily print circulation, crowdfunding organizers can attract larger audience awareness for their projects. The proposed campaigns are expected to have clear social value aspect, which also provides the publisher with a continuous stream of newsworthy community topics.
Behind the Design of Society 5.0
Dr Harayama is an Executive Member of Japan’s Council for Science, Technology and Innovation and the former Deputy Director for Science, Technology and Industry at the OECD. As one of the key architects, this interview reveals her thoughts on the genesis of the primary concept and its design process.
In our view, she is the thought leader of Society 5.0; also see “Aiming for a New Human-centered Society” article [.pdf] and her “Why Society 5.0” TEDx Talk in Rome, in June 2019.
There are far too many choices for a single drop-quote here; take a moment to consider the implications of their approach.
Play Video
$1-Billion Moonshot Program
Hirai-san, as former minister in charge, spent significant time in 2018 on this project and secured the initial budget. The first Visionary Council meeting was held late March 2019, with 1,800 public proposals submitted for review by their third session held in May. The combined Japanese government agencies hosted an International Symposium in December 2019, which we were delighted to attend, to review ‘Future Visions and Ambitious Goals’. The final 25 project areas selected, across the three main categories as detailed in this announcement last summer [.pdf], will also have a dedicated section within our reporting coverage.
that's the brief - here's the plan
Yes, we tried to keep it ‘brief’ and detailed as possible, but as you may suspect, this overview is barely the tip of the iceberg.
We will collect and collate the most current and useful information available across section categories of Academia, Enterprise, Government and Society, spanning technology verticals from AI to xReality. hence the name ‘Reports Portal’.
Whether you are looking for contacts or concepts, benchmarks or inspiration, awareness and understanding of activities here will be a solid foundation to build on specific use cases. Knowledge of who is doing what, why and how, is critical to identify and develop opportunities; this will be an extremely valuable resource, for Japan and beyond, in the years to come.
Clearly it would be ideal for the materials to be freely available online, enabling a wider reach as result of the open access to all. This approach, combined with exposure to our highly attractive email list demographic, presents a natural and valuable position for us to honour Patron Supporters, with logo and link, who make it possible to deliver on this promise.
We will cover 16 target segments, as described above, over the balance of 2020 and now offering prime insert slots for the 5×5 Project. Interested parties are encouraged to Contact Us via form below for details, Standing by and looking forward.
The ®evolution Continues
5 x 5
JAPAN-WORLD | BEYOND 2020
Signal ≠ Noise
Wireless Watch Japan debuted in 2001 as a weekly email newsletter, and since then the mobile industry has become essential to daily life worldwide. We were fortunate to be based at ‘ground zero’ in Tokyo and diligent in pursuing this space from the beginning. It’s been an honour and pleasure to serve! Today, we are ‘good to go’ for the next big adventure.
It’s been busy – always interesting – and we look forward to building for the next cycle, Beyond 2020. Can you imagine, Whooosh.. what it will be like in another 20 years from now?
Sign-up via form here and take a quick moment to say Hello!
While 5G and IoT (Ai-xR) tech. will continue to be key topics, we see a far larger story emerging from Japan: Society 5.0. As with Wireless Watch, our position remains: to discover, analyse and report the unique and valuable intelligence on activity here with strong potential to impact global markets. Take a moment to review the initial brief materials below.
Hopefully, we have your attention from past efforts and there is genuine interest in maintaining our connection. Ideally, our new ‘5×5’ newsletter will be worthy in your opinion for time spent, indeed, the ®evolution Continues. Yoroshiku!
Hello.. World..
東京 日本
2019 World Economic Forum, Davos
excerpt from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s keynote: Toward a New Era of “Hope-Driven Economy”
We had better act now, because coming into being every single day is more than 2.5 quintillion bytes of data, which is, according to one estimate, as much as two hundred fifty thousand times the printed material in the U.S. Library of Congress. We must, on one hand, be able to put our personal data and data embodying intellectual property, national security intelligence, and so on, under careful protection, while on the other hand, we must enable the free flow of medical, industrial, traffic and other useful, non-personal, anonymous data to see no borders, repeat, no borders.
The regime we must build is one for D.F.F.T. — Data Free Flow with Trust — non-personal data, needless to say.
It is not the big, capital intensive industries, but rather we individuals who will benefit from both the fourth industrial revolution and what we call “Society 5.0” which this fourth industrial revolution will bring about. In Society 5.0, it is no longer capital but data that connects and drives everything, helping to fill the gap between the rich and the less privileged.
Our task is obvious. We must make data a great gap buster. Through AI, IoT and robotics, the data-driven Society 5.0 will bring about a new reality for urbanity. Our cities will be made much more livable for all sorts of people from all walks of life. To that end, the promise I made 5 years ago still holds today, I will continue to work as a drill bit, drilling through outdated regulations to change them. The engine for growth, if you think about it, is fueled no longer by gasoline, but more and more by digital data.
Brief: Society 5.0
The integration of cyber and physical world data inputs – combined for shared benefit – of academia, business, citizens and government.
It’s likely you have heard of Industry 4.0, focused on digital and the enterprise, pioneered in Germany and originally introduced at the Hanover Fair in 2011. The Japanese approach goes well beyond, with a stated scope – and supporting funding – that is truly breathtaking. As with the made-in-Japan mobile internet era of the late 90s, we expect Society 5.0 developments to have significant implications globally over the coming years.
We have closely followed the progress of this project, since it was announced in January 2016, collecting massive amounts of material along the way. Suffice to say there’s real potential for disruption and opportunity, and yet just like the early days of mobile, it’s a universal issue evolving off-the-radar in Japan.
Japan’s Science, Technology and Innovation Council launched in 1995, with Basic Plans set on five-year terms. Budgeted at 1% of GDP, operating directly within the Cabinet Office and chaired by the Prime Minister with all relevant ministers at the table, this is Japan’s strategic national government policy process.
While highly simplified, the agenda of current 5th Basic Plan is ‘data capture everything’, from education to energy, finance to food and healthcare to homes, for interpreted feedback results. It’s a fairly bold vision of the future, with Japanese sensibilities.
Data is not the new oil; for better or worse, it’s the new nuclear.
For more background on Society 5.0 see this overview [.pdf] by the Japanese Business Federation for the G20 Summit held in Osaka. The full Basic Plan document provided by Cabinet Office is a fantastic read; their core position statement is well defined and fully detailed in English and it’s worth a deeper dive [.pdf]. We are prepared to Build a Dedicated Reports Portal on the topic, and this is our Call for Confirmation of Interest.
Naturally there is the typical balance of revenue model on time spent and how to reconcile that metric is critical in this case. We have produced many reports over the years, usually with a narrow focus for clients under NDA. We plan to proceed by offering a generous Patron Supporter plan, based on targeted Report Sections below.
Play Video
Society 5.0 Report Sections
consumer and industrial robot design
No doubt Japan has deep roots in robotic engineering, from Asimo to Wabot, with the majority global market share in factory automation led by Fanuc and Yaskawa. In fact, Japan exported approx. $1.6-Bn worth of robotic products in 2016 alone, more than Germany, France, Italy, the US and South Korea combined. Our first dig into this segment, from university labs through to traditional and next-gen players, has been enlightening and we’re sure this ‘smart machines’ section will provide a revealing peek into the future.
machine learning – agile interpretation
The Japanese NPO for AI marked its 30th anniversary a few years ago, noting that patents for machine learning were filed in the 1980s. Globally we find that 11 of the top 20 companies, by volume and value of patent families, are based in Japan. Considering the central data capture and analytics premise of Society 5.0, it could be that AI will actually mean All Information. As with robotics above; there is also demonstrated software history here, read the original aibo press release, circa 1999, for case in point.
security at the speed of light
Basic research on THz submillimeter wave goes back over a decade and has achieved 80-Gbps wireless data rate in labs here. With the IOWN Global Forum by Intel, NTT and Sony, plus Mitsubishi Bank and Akamai Distributed Ledger project at 10-million transactions per second, and Quantum related tech, this space is moving fast. Based on the Data Free Flow with Trust concept, the so-called ‘Control Tower’ to securely manage colossal amounts of daily data will be an extremely important capability, and not just in Japan.
smart cities – living labs
Led by Panasonic and partners, the Fujisawa Sustainable Smart Town opened in 2014 on former factory land near Tokyo. With 600 housing units and 3,000 citizens, their sharp focus on advanced smart-grid eco-friendly design served as showcase for the new CityNow project in Denver. Beyond mere technology, its shared community features of mobility, security and wellness are also essential aspects. This physical world fusion of data efficiencies is real-life proof of how digital will serve microcities in the future.
material sciences
From fabrics to glass, from R&D labs to the streets, solutions have become increasingly sophisticated, with talented players aiming at both consumer and corporate markets.
sensor networks
Sensors need power - battery or hard line. What if they could harvest enough juice from thin air? Energy harvesting is just one of the many IoT topic areas to be covered.
mass transport
Japan rail operators see +2Bn subway rides monthly while new Maglev set world speed records. Now, a public-private consortium is hard at work on flying cars - no kidding!
fintech
In early 2017, 60% of all Bitcoin owned was via transactions in Yen, is Satoshi Japanese? The push for 'cashless' is strong, but what's really going on & who are the key players?
entrepreneurs
There has been a paradigm shift here in the start-up arena over the last few years, well beyond a chaos map. It will be a major part of our report - across all segment verticals.
alternate realities
While Sony PSVR rules the head-mount display market, we have seen HaloLens and Magic Leap inking recent deals. xR related tech. is ascendant -remember Pokeman Go!
space
In 2005, JAXA flew the first mission to land on an asteroid, collect samples and return to Earth. Now, search for Hayabusa2, the Lunar Gateway, iSpace or ALE sky canvas.
energy
The post-Fukushima era has triggered new viable approaches with increased efficiency and alternate fuel options. From home solar and hybrid vehicles to industrial Hydrogen.
health
Japan is ground-zero for aging populations, from advanced imaging solutions to remote care, pharma and robots, all with universal applications based on documented results.
environment
Clearly a hot topic: the Japan Meteorology Agency has a wealth of precise data, which will be useful for climate related discussion. We have tons of material on this key area.
community
The intention of Society 5.0 to support communities at large has risks and rewards. Demonstrating its promise will be essential therefore detailing how it worked is crucial.
tourism
Japan recorded a four-fold jump in annual visitors over the past six years. This offers many lessons for other locations aiming to capitalize on the global growth in tourism.
food for thought
Play Video
History of Collaboration
A rare Steve Jobs interview on his experience working with Dr. Joseph Juran focused on quality and design. Joe spent his career on exchanges between East and West, see this paper that he wrote on Quality Circles in mid-1960s [.pdf], and was obviously a huge influence. It’s widely known SPJ had a deep affinity for Japan, beyond those black turtlenecks; Kobun Otogawa was his Zen spiritual mentor for decades. Dr. Juran made strong connections with major figures in the post-war era including, and maybe most noteworthy, Dr. Ishikawa. The point being that there is a certain, if subtle, foundation we intend to include within this project as a powerful basis for learning from the past while building for the future.
Modern Quality Circle Result
The Asahi Shimbun, one of Japan’s leading newspapers, launched the A-port crowdfunding platform in early 2015. This concept won their ‘new business creation contest’ for internal employees and is an excellent example of Japan’s current approach to the future of digital business and society. Since the platform is operated by a major media brand, the world’s second-largest daily print circulation, crowdfunding organizers can attract larger audience awareness for their projects. The proposed campaigns are expected to have clear social value aspect, which also provides the publisher with a continuous stream of newsworthy community topics.
Play Video
Behind the Design of Society 5.0
Dr Harayama is an Executive Member of Japan’s Council for Science, Technology and Innovation and the former Deputy Director for Science, Technology and Industry at the OECD. As one of the key architects, this interview reveals her thoughts on the genesis of the primary concept and its design process.
In our view, she is the thought leader of Society 5.0; also see “Aiming for a New Human-centered Society” article [.pdf] and her “Why Society 5.0” TEDx Talk in Rome, in June 2019. There are far too many choices for a single drop-quote here; take a moment to consider the implications of their approach.
$1-Billion Moonshot Program
Hirai-san, as former minister in charge, spent significant time in 2018 on this project and secured the initial budget. The first Visionary Council meeting was held late March 2019, with 1,800 public proposals submitted for review by their third session held in May. The combined Japanese government agencies hosted an International Symposium in December 2019, which we were delighted to attend, to review ‘Future Visions and Ambitious Goals’. The final 25 project areas selected, across the three main categories as detailed in this announcement last summer [.pdf], will also have a dedicated section within our reporting coverage.
that's the brief - here's the plan
Yes, we tried to keep it ‘brief’ and detailed as possible, but as you may suspect, this overview is barely the tip of the iceberg. We will collect and collate the most current and useful information available across section categories of Academia, Enterprise, Government and Society, spanning technology verticals from AI to xReality. hence the name ‘Reports Portal’.
Whether you are looking for contacts or concepts, benchmarks or inspiration, awareness and understanding of activities here will be a solid foundation to build on specific use cases. Knowledge of who is doing what, why and how, is critical to identify and develop opportunities; this will be an extremely valuable resource, for Japan and beyond, in the years to come.
Clearly it would be ideal for the materials to be freely available online, enabling a wider reach as result of the open access to all. This approach, combined with exposure to our highly attractive email list demographic, presents a natural and valuable position for us to honour Patron Supporters, with logo and link, who make it possible to deliver on this promise.
We will cover 16 target segments, as described above, over the balance of 2020 and now offering prime insert slots for the 5×5 Project. Interested parties are encouraged to Contact Us via form below for details.
Standing by and looking forward.
The
®evolution
Continues
5 x 5
JAPAN-WORLD
BEYOND 2020
Signal ≠ Noise
Wireless Watch Japan debuted in 2001 as a weekly email newsletter, and since then the mobile industry has become essential to daily life worldwide. We were fortunate to be based at ‘ground zero’ in Tokyo and diligent in pursuing this space from the beginning. It’s been an honour and pleasure to serve! Today, we are ‘good to go’ for the next big adventure.
It’s been busy – always interesting – and we look forward to building for the next cycle, Beyond 2020. Can you imagine, Whooosh.. what it will be like in another 20 years from now?
Sign-up via form here and take a quick moment to say Hello!
While 5G and IoT (Ai-xR) tech. will continue to be key topics, we see a far larger story emerging from Japan: Society 5.0. As with Wireless Watch, our position remains: to discover, analyse and report the unique and valuable intelligence on activity here with strong potential to impact global markets. Take a moment to review the initial brief materials below.
Hopefully, we have your attention from past efforts and there is genuine interest in maintaining our connection. Ideally, our new ‘5×5’ newsletter will be worthy in your opinion for time spent, indeed, the ®evolution Continues. Yoroshiku!
Hello.. World..
東京 日本
2019 World Economic Forum, Davos
excerpt from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s keynote: Toward a New Era of “Hope-Driven Economy”
We had better act now, because coming into being every single day is more than 2.5 quintillion bytes of data, which is, according to one estimate, as much as two hundred fifty thousand times the printed material in the U.S. Library of Congress. We must, on one hand, be able to put our personal data and data embodying intellectual property, national security intelligence, and so on, under careful protection, while on the other hand, we must enable the free flow of medical, industrial, traffic and other useful, non-personal, anonymous data to see no borders, repeat, no borders.
The regime we must build is one for D.F.F.T. — Data Free Flow with Trust — non-personal data, needless to say.
It is not the big, capital intensive industries, but rather we individuals who will benefit from both the fourth industrial revolution and what we call “Society 5.0” which this fourth industrial revolution will bring about. In Society 5.0, it is no longer capital but data that connects and drives everything, helping to fill the gap between the rich and the less privileged.
Our task is obvious. We must make data a great gap buster. Through AI, IoT and robotics, the data-driven Society 5.0 will bring about a new reality for urbanity. Our cities will be made much more livable for all sorts of people from all walks of life. To that end, the promise I made 5 years ago still holds today, I will continue to work as a drill bit, drilling through outdated regulations to change them. The engine for growth, if you think about it, is fueled no longer by gasoline, but more and more by digital data.
Brief: Society 5.0
The integration of cyber and physical world data inputs – combined for shared benefit – of academia, business, citizens and government.
It’s likely you have heard of Industry 4.0, focused on digital and the enterprise, pioneered in Germany and originally introduced at the Hanover Fair in 2011. The Japanese approach goes well beyond, with a stated scope – and supporting funding – that is truly breathtaking. As with the made-in-Japan mobile internet era of the late 90s, we expect Society 5.0 developments to have significant implications globally over the coming years.
We have closely followed the progress of this project, since it was announced in January 2016, collecting massive amounts of material along the way. Suffice to say there’s real potential for disruption and opportunity, and yet just like the early days of mobile, it’s a universal issue evolving off-the-radar in Japan.
Japan’s Science, Technology and Innovation Council launched in 1995, with Basic Plans set on five-year terms. Budgeted at 1% of GDP, operating directly within the Cabinet Office and chaired by the Prime Minister with all relevant ministers at the table, this is Japan’s strategic national government policy process.
While highly simplified, the agenda of current 5th Basic Plan is ‘data capture everything’, from education to energy, finance to food and healthcare to homes, for interpreted feedback results. It’s a fairly bold vision of the future, with Japanese sensibilities.
Data is not the new oil; for better or worse, it’s the new nuclear.
For background on Society 5.0 see this overview [.pdf] by the Japanese Business Federation for the G20 Summit held in Osaka. The full Basic Plan document provided by Cabinet Office is a fantastic read; their core position statement is well defined and fully detailed in English and it’s worth a deeper dive [.pdf].
We are prepared to Build a Dedicated Reports Portal on the topic, and this is our Call for Confirmation of Interest.
Naturally there is the typical balance of revenue model on time spent and how to reconcile that metric is critical in this case. We have produced many reports over the years, usually with a narrow focus for clients under NDA. We plan to proceed by offering a generous Patron Supporters plan, based on the Sections Below.
Society 5.0 Report
consumer and industrial robot design
No doubt Japan has deep roots in robotic engineering, from Asimo to Wabot, with the majority global market share in factory automation led by Fanuc and Yaskawa. In fact, Japan exported approx. $1.6-Bn worth of robotic products in 2016 alone, more than Germany, France, Italy, the US and South Korea combined. Our first dig into this segment, from university labs to traditional and next-gen players, has been enlightening and we’re sure this ‘smart machines’ section will provide a revealing peek into the future.
machine learning – agile interpretation
The Japanese NPO for AI marked its 30th anniversary a few years ago, noting that patents for machine learning were filed in the 1980s. Globally we find that 11 of the top 20 companies, by volume and value of patent families, are based in Japan. Considering the central data capture and analytics premise of Society 5.0, it could be that AI will actually mean All Information. As with robotics above; there is also demonstrated software history here, read the original aibo press release, circa 1999, for case in point.
security past the speed of light
Basic research on THz submillimeter wave goes back over a decade and has achieved 80-Gbps wireless data rate in labs here. With the IOWN Global Forum by Intel, NTT and Sony, plus Mitsubishi Bank and Akamai Distributed Ledger project at 10-million transactions per second, and Quantum related tech, this space is moving fast. Based on the Data Free Flow with Trust concept, the so-called ‘Control Tower’ to securely manage colossal amounts of daily data will be an extremely important capability, and not just in Japan.
smart cities – living labs
Led by Panasonic and partners, the Fujisawa Sustainable Smart Town opened in 2014 on former factory land near Tokyo. With 600 housing units and 3,000 citizens, their sharp focus on advanced smart-grid eco-friendly design served as showcase for the new CityNow project in Denver. Beyond mere technology, its shared community features of mobility, security and wellness are also essential aspects. This physical world fusion of data efficiencies is real-life proof of how digital will serve microcities in the future.
material sciences
From fabrics to glass, from R&D labs to the streets, solutions have become increasingly sophisticated, with talented players aiming at both consumer and corporate markets.
sensor networks
Sensors need power - battery or hard line. What if they could harvest enough juice from thin air? Energy harvesting is just one of the many IoT topic areas to be covered.
mass transport
Japan rail operators see +2Bn subway rides monthly while new Maglev set world speed records. Now, a public-private consortium is hard at work on flying cars - no kidding!
fintech
In early 2017, 60% of all Bitcoin owned was via transactions in Yen, is Satoshi Japanese? The push for 'cashless' is strong, but what's really going on & who are the key players?
entrepreneurs
There has been a paradigm shift here in the start-up arena over the last few years, well beyond a chaos map. It will be a major part of our report - across all segment verticals.
alternate realities
While Sony PSVR rules the head-mount display market, we have seen HaloLens and Magic Leap inking recent deals. xR related tech. is ascendant -remember Pokeman Go!
space
In 2005, JAXA flew the first mission to land on an asteroid, collect samples and return to Earth. Now, search for Hayabusa2, the Lunar Gateway, iSpace or ALE sky canvas.
energy
The post-Fukushima era has triggered new viable approaches with increased efficiency and alternate fuel options. From home solar and hybrid vehicles to industrial Hydrogen.
health
Japan is ground-zero for aging populations, from advanced imaging solutions to remote care, pharma and robots, all with universal applications based on documented results.
environment
Clearly a hot topic: the Japan Meteorology Agency has a wealth of precise data, which will be useful for climate related discussion. We have tons of material on this key area.
community
The intention of Society 5.0 to support communities at large has risks and rewards. Demonstrating its promise will be essential therefore detailing how it worked is crucial.
tourism
Japan recorded a four-fold jump in annual visitors over the past six years. This offers many lessons for other locations aiming to capitalize on the global growth in tourism.
food for thought
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History of Collaboration
A rare Steve Jobs interview on his experience working with Dr. Joseph Juran focused on quality and design. Joe spent his career on exchanges between East and West, see this paper that he wrote on Quality Circles in mid-1960s [.pdf], and was obviously a huge influence. It’s widely known SPJ had a deep affinity for Japan, beyond those black turtlenecks; Kobun Otogawa was his Zen spiritual mentor for decades. Dr. Juran made strong connections with major figures in the post-war era including, and maybe most noteworthy, Dr. Ishikawa. The point being that there is a certain, if subtle, foundation we intend to include within this project as a powerful basis for learning from the past while building for the future.
Modern Quality Circle Result
The Asahi Shimbun, one of Japan’s leading newspapers, launched the A-port crowdfunding platform in early 2015. This concept won their ‘new business creation contest’ for internal employees and is an excellent example of Japan’s current approach to the future of digital business and society. Since the platform is operated by a major media brand, the world’s second-largest daily print circulation, crowdfunding organizers can attract larger audience awareness for their projects. The proposed campaigns are expected to have clear social value aspect, which also provides the publisher with a continuous stream of newsworthy community topics.
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Behind the Design of Society 5.0
Dr Harayama is an Executive Member of Japan’s Council for Science, Technology and Innovation and the former Deputy Director for Science, Technology and Industry at the OECD. As one of the key architects, this interview reveals her thoughts on the genesis of the primary concept and its design process.
In our view, she is the thought leader of Society 5.0; also see “Aiming for a New Human-centered Society” article [.pdf] and her “Why Society 5.0” TEDx Talk in Rome, in June 2019. There are far too many choices for a single drop-quote here; take a moment to consider the implications of their approach.
$1-Billion Moonshot Program
Hirai-san, as former minister in charge, spent significant time in 2018 on this project and secured the initial budget. The first Visionary Council meeting was held late March 2019, with 1,800 public proposals submitted for review by their third session held in May. The combined Japanese government agencies hosted an International Symposium in December 2019, which we were delighted to attend, to review ‘Future Visions and Ambitious Goals’. The final 25 project areas selected, across the three main categories as detailed in this announcement last summer [.pdf], will also have a dedicated section within our reporting coverage.
that's the brief - here's the plan
Yes, we tried to keep it ‘brief’ and detailed as possible, but as you may suspect, this overview is barely the tip of the iceberg.
We will collect and collate the most current and useful information available across section categories of Academia, Enterprise, Government and Society, spanning technology verticals from AI to xReality. hence the name ‘Reports Portal’.
Whether you are looking for contacts or concepts, benchmarks or inspiration, awareness and understanding of activities here will be a solid foundation to build on specific use cases. Knowledge of who is doing what, why and how, is critical to identify and develop opportunities; this will be an extremely valuable resource, for Japan and beyond, in the years to come.
Clearly it would be ideal for the materials to be freely available online, enabling a wider reach as result of the open access to all. This approach, combined with exposure to our highly attractive email list demographic, presents a natural and valuable position for us to honour Patron Supporters, with logo and link, who make it possible to deliver on this promise.
We will cover 16 target segments, as described above, over the balance of 2020 and now offering prime insert slots for the 5×5 Project. Interested parties are encouraged to Contact Us via form below for details, Standing by and looking forward.