ASEAN countries are facing more rapidly declining birthrates and population aging than Japan. At the same time, the widening income gaps are leading to increased social unease, and this situation is aggravated by the digital society. As regional issues shift from the economy to politics and society, how should Japan relate to ASEAN countries?   Depopulation, declining birthrates and population aging are common issues not only for Japan, but for the entire Asian region. The global population will continue to increase this century, whereas Asia, including the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), will see populations decrease by the middle of this century. That is, Asia will become a depopulation region half a century earlier than the rest of the world. This is because declining birthrates have been progressing throughout Asia. The total fertility rate (equal to the number of children that women ... ... [Read more]

Horimoto Takenori, Visiting Professor, Gifu Women’s University of Japan Kawashima Shin, Professor, University of Tokyo Kawashima Shin: China is making a range of moves, both large and small, with the National Congress of the Communist Party of China imminent this fall. But we need to keep our eyes on India, in addition to observing how China will change in units of 10 years and 20 years when we think about the future of the world and the future of Asia. Horimoto Takenori: China and India combined are said to have accounted for half of the global GDP in the middle of the 18th century. The same situation is likely to emerge in the second half of the 21st century. To begin with, only two countries in the world, China and India, have populations exceeding 1 billion at the present time. The framework of the ... ... [Read more]

Although a gasoline-fueled car is usually said to contain approximately 30,000 parts and components, a closer look reveals that depending on the way of counting, it can be as large as 100,000 with some 10,000 parts used to make just an engine. In the case of an electric vehicle (EV), which runs on a battery-powered motor instead of a fuel-powered engine, there is no need for fuel system parts such as a fuel tank, ignition system components such as a spark plug, exhaustion and emission control system parts such as a muffler, air intake system parts such as a throttle, lubrication system parts such as a fuel pump, cooling system components such as a radiator, and transmission system components such as an automatic transmission (AT) (according to the EVsmart Blog). As such, the number of parts and components used to make an EV is ... ... [Read more]

Key Points The elimination of either FCV or EV  by market competition is unavoidable Competition will intensify as obstacles to market participation are lowered by the widespread popularization of EV Current revenues cannot be maintained with a changeover to EV Both the British and French governments have announced policies to ban the sale of conventional combustion engine-powered vehicles by the year 2040. This, together with the toughening of environmental regulations by other countries such as China and the United States, indicates that the global movement shifting away from engine-powered cars is accelerating. Amidst all of this, the greatest issue for Japan is that the road that lies ahead, after this shift away from engine-powered cars remains unclear. Does it lead to electric vehicles (EV), or to fuel cell vehicles (FCV)? The major reason for this uncertainty is that manufacturers have divided into two camps. ... ... [Read more]

Motani Kosuke, Chief Senior Economist, The Japan Research Institute, Ltd. vs Hirai Shinji, Governor, Tottori Prefecture Tottori, a Unique Countryside Motani Kosuke: I read your book, Chiisakutemo Kateru (You Can Win Even if You Are Small). I think this book is like the novel, Shitamachi Roketto (Rockets of an Old Commercial District) by Mr. Ikeido Jun. It’s the story of a young man who grew up in Tokyo and migrated to Tottori. In the story, the protagonist leaves a large company, finds a job at a second-tier company and achieves success as a hired business manager with his strenuous efforts. Hirai Shinji: Thank you, Mr. Motani. I’ve asked you for help in many ways, including a visit to a symposium held in our prefecture and guidance with our prefectural employees, because I really wanted to try what you called the capitalism of the satoyama ... ... [Read more]