The following is the first of a 3-part series, entitled "Japan's Aging Population: Where's Your Company?"
This series examines how opportunities amongst Japan's aging population can be translated into gold-mines for the shrewd:
1) Company executive considering new markets for his/her company's product-service solutions
2) Government technocrat, seeking new markets for his/her country.
Let's begin!
==========
Japan's population, as with most developed countries in the world, is aging.
A January 2010 report from Japan's Bureau of Statistics show that Japans' population of 125,863,000 had 21% of its people in the age group: 50-64 years and 33.9% in the age group: 65 years and older.
Thus putting the percentage of Japanese over 50 years old, at 55%.
According to Chart: Ratio of Age Groups in Japan Population (last chart on page),this trend is expected to continue over the next 10-20 years, with Japan's population in the age group: 65 and over, rising to 43% in 2030.
=========
There is currently a growing demand for nurses, to take care of this rising population of aged persons in Japan.
This demand is being filled by persons whose native language is not Japanese.
...The reason being that Japan's declining birth rate and increasing aging rate, ensures that there aren't enough nursing graduates to fill available slots.
[E.g. Table 1: Population of Japan: 1870 to 2100 shows Japan's population in 2007, being 127,782,000.
Their population of 125,863,000 at June 1,2010,(as per Population Estimates by Age (5-Year Age Group) and Sex) shows a 2% decline over the 3-year period 2007-2010.
Additionally, Japan's population in 2030 is expected to be 117,149,000...representing a 7% decline over the period 2010 to 2030].
Most foreign nurses spend 2-3 years to learn Japanese, so as to effectively communicate with patients and other medical personnel...much too long for Japan to realize its return on investment on these nurses.
So the Japanese have solved this problem...by having a robot substitute for a real nurse.
(Please see the video above, for more details).
The robot does the heavy-duty things that a nurse would do, like lifting patients, but intricate ("soft")duties like doing sponge baths and carrying out doctors' instructions to administer medicines, are still carried out by human nurses.
Despite this, Japan's aging population represents an excellent opportunity for countries, like Jamaica, that export nurses to developed countries.
The key for these countries to capitalize on this growing market niche, is to teach Japanese in-country, so that when these nurses go to Japan, they can easily adapt, without having a language-barrier problem.
But if the Japanese have their way, they will continue to improve the nurse robot...to eventually do the soft things that nurses do...thus gradually reducing the workload of nurses and the number of nurses in the not-too-distant future.
However there is no way that a robot, no matter how cute or human-like, can substitute for genuine human touch, concern and kindness.
...Three (3) attributes that contribute greatly to a patient's quick and full recovery.
...The Japanese realize this...hence the increasing demand for more foreign nurses in Japan.
The way I see it, this trend will continue, as long as these foreign nurses are knowledgeable of Japanese, prior to entering Japan.
=========
Countries that export nurses can further capitalize on Japan's aging population, by having their language schools that train professionals in conversational and written Japanese, partner with medical institutions (in their home country) to teach Japanese courses, specific to the medical profession, at these institutions.
...So that these medical professionals don't have to consult a language dictionary to find the Japanese equivalent for every technical term they're unfamiliar with...
Instead, they'd have already become conversant with these Japanese technical terms having been taught same at the above medical institutions...
...Thus helping these nurses to become an asset rather than a liability to the Japanese government.
Thus increasing their demand by Japan and thus allowing their countries to tap into Japan's aging population gold-mine.
===========
In our next post, we'll look at how one company is capitalizing on Japan's aging population...
Using this company's example, I'll teach you how you too can further capitalize on Japan's aging population gold-mine.
...Stay tuned!
(I would like to thank diagonaluk for use of his inset YouTube video above).
Gillian
Sources Include
1) Web page, "Page 2: Population of Japan 18770 - 2100", accessed June 21, 2010
2) Chart, "Population Estimates by Age (5-Year Age Group) and Sex" - Monthly Report, January 1, 2010 (Final Estimates, June 1, 2010 (Provisional Estimates) via Japan's Bureau of Statistics, accessed June 21, 2010
3) Article, "Japan to accept over 1,000 nurses, caregivers over next 2 years", May 17, 2010 via Kyodo News.
Comments