And true black point regarding spending disease

The aisles have been expanded to allow more room for wheelchairs, lowered shelves and labels magnified price. The first convenience for the elderly has just barely be inaugurated as already, its owner, Lawson, one of major signs of the commerce of proximity to the Japan, plans to open others. Many others. 1,700 term, or 20 of its fleet.

In two decades, the population of the Japan will become the oldest in the world, one third of people exceeding 65. While today ' hui, two assets fund a retiree benefits, by 2025, this ratio will be two to three. Make this situation bearable is the challenge launched to the successor of Junichiro Koizumi, Shinzo Abe, who elected today President of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), will become Prime Minister in a few days.

Demographic ageing is certainly not a problem unique to the archipelago. What is on the other hand, is the speed at which the silver generation"is gaining ground. If, in France, it took more than a century that the proportion of over-65 goes from 7 to 14 of the population, the Japan, this was the case of... twenty-four years. And the movement can only be confirmed as a result of the decline of fertility. With 1.25 child on average per woman, or even less than in the capital, it is not, the simple renewal of the generations.

A dog rather than a child

The explanations for this low birth rate are many, but many are in the custody of the children. The Japan, it is difficult, even impossible, to employ a nurse home. Result: the absence of crèches in sufficient numbers, the grandparents are mobilized. To the point that if the father and the mother work both, their grandson or granddaughter their lives at home. The women, they must choose between a career and childbearing. Increasingly, they delay the age of their first maternity (29.1 years on average), in an effort to gain real work experience prior to be confined to their homes. These constraints discourage many young couples, children, prefer... a dog. Yet the authorities attempt to implement a pro-birth policy, but by lack of funds, it remains intentions. A project of label for companies whose employees can work while dealing with their children has so far remained without any further. Consequence of all this, in 2005, for the first time, and ahead of two-year forecasts, deaths exceeded births number.

"The problem of 2007".

The rise of the "seniors" requires the countries to adapt more quickly that a one-time phenomenon accentuates the pressure. The Japanese call it "the problem of 2007". But it will actually stretch until 2009. It concerns the mass retirement of the "baby boomers", these 8.06 million men and women born between 1947 and 1949. Shinzo Abe reiterated it, the pension system should be followed closely. And for good reason. The doubling of the number of new retirees in the years 2007-2009 means, indeed, an annual cost of 2,000 billion yen (13.5 billion) for pension funds.

However, "public finances can quite endure," said Seiji Yoshimura, Director of the Center for studies of international development and the economic and social movements. Because everything has been planned. At least in theory. Since 2004, a regime based on the Swedish model automatically adapts contributions among pensioners. The difficulty for this distribution system, "to avoid the explosion of the contributions that too as well strong degradation of benefits", says Yuji Tsushima, LDP member and one of the fathers of the new device. In any event, the background trend is the increase in the contribution of the employee. At the same time, the rate of replacement calculated from wages and the number of months worked is adjusted. Around 60 today for employees, "which is rather well", j. MP, it will decrease. "Everything will be implemented to pay the equivalent of 50 of the salary", advance, Member of Parliament not without saying: "We have still doubts about our ability to maintain this level."

A way to cushion the impact of retirements in retirement is to reduce the age at which they operate. Once attached to 58 years old, he is now 63 years and will be increased to 65 years in 2013. Coherent technical, this system yet found its limits at the social level because, reserved for employees (35 million people), it applies to the self-employed (20 million) or in General to wives (20 million). These latter two perceive that the minimum age of 60,000 yen per month (EUR 400). The weakness of the pensions grows well from 60s to stay in business. While some opt for works of general interest such as the movement out of schools, or the Visual identification of the building in the city. Others prefer to register in one kind of NAE of the third age that provides some odd, Silver Human Resources Centers.

If he tries to take care of the third age, the Japan is also concerned about the costs. And, true black point regarding spending disease. From different calculation assumptions, the LDP, the ruling party, considers that in 2025 the social spending (health, pensions, etc.) may represent 26.5 of GDP estimated at 540,000 billion yen against, this year, 22 of neighbouring GNP of 376.000 billion yen.

Immigrants and robots

Cost containment, control treatments, methods are almost universal when it comes to avoid skidding, but political power remains very prudent on this issue both public expenditure remain a sensitive issue with the size of deficits. Thus, the Japan long term debt amounts to 153 of GDP and has been growing in recent years. Knowing that the increase in the number of elderly people is likely to weigh on the savings rate households, the authorities intend to avoid financial burden to future generations of their elders.

The shape of the pyramid of the Japan also requires public authorities to tackle another problem: the replacement of the labour force. But immigration is from making unanimity, even though this solution appears more consensus that the issue of family reunification. The Japanese can understand that originating people of other Asian countries, including from the Philippines, are low-skilled positions. But they are not prepared psychologically to accommodate families. Without being totally locked the doors of the archipelago remain closed to foreigners. The evidence In 2005, they (visas work, students, interns, etc.) accounted for 1.5 of the population. And surveys show that if, in 1990, 42 of the population were favourable to the arrival of immigrants, this percentage fell to 15.

A solution still brings together all the votes: humanoid robots. Developed by NEC, Papero dancing, speaks, and sees his cheeks turn red to green depending on his mood. It is as Wakamaru, designed by Mitsubishi, and Asimo, Honda champion. Gear more programmed to become "people" of company. Wakamaru, for example, develops a rich vocabulary of 10,000 words and permanently connected to the Internet. Alone, he can wake up a family, read the emails received, give the main information of the night or even the weather. In the same way, it is able to send an e-mail from problem alert. Many of robots can also serve as aides. That the person they charge falls or does not wake up and they give the alert; It should take medications at time fixed and they are there to remind him of the.

The ageing of the population requires the Japan change his daily environment, the image of the Lawson stores. Sendai, a city located two hours from Tokyo, the fourth age was the reason for the research centre. There, engineers invent, rethink, or adapting equipment to ergonomics and ease of use for the elderly. At each stage, these new products are tested by a hundred of them which, taken together, are most of the ills which the elderly. Thus the loneliness and isolation that allows a computer to combat with email simplified. Or reduced mobility can be overcome through a centralized system of remote control capable of everything in the House. Or even to partial blindness which will be a day of escape in part using a television screen transformed into multimedia platform connected to the Internet and a keyboard with keys adapted to the visually.

If he has time to become aware of demographic decline, the Japan will now seek to take advantage. Tech, he has not left anyone innovate before others in this area. Or how a disability an asset.