Japan Dating Robots

[Leto Corrales]

Thematchmaking event took place in Tokyo. 28 marriage-seeking singles sat around a table with tiny bots between them speaking on their behalf. The event was a success and four new couples were formed. They said the Cupidon robots helped calm their nerves.

These robotic wingmen served as a messenger for each person to introduce themselves, since many said they felt too nervous to make a conversation on their own. Information was pre-loaded into their system from a 45-question survey participants completed prior to the event, on different subjects such as interests and current job.

The party was organized by the Tokyo-based Contents innovation Program (CiP) Association, which develops AI, robotics and other tech. The bots used in this innovative speed-dating party were developed by Sharp Corporation in collaboration with Japanese media company Cyber Agent.

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As you arrive in Tokyo's Haneda airport more than likely you will meet a cute little figure dressed in red and white, and no it's not one of Santa's little helpers. This 90-cm figure is called EMIEW3, a robot that is there to meet, greet and help foreign visitors.

"I need to get a connecting flight? Where can I buy a phone charger? Do you know where the bar is?" In fact most questions get a standard answer: follow me please; and with that EMIEW 3 rolls slowly off, all the while checking that you are following.

As you get into the taxi to your hotel you might see a porter-probably over 65 putting some heavy looking suitcases into the waiting vehicles. And no, Japanese don't possess super strength; the porter will be wearing an exoskeleton called HAL which allows a 110lb man to pick up a 45 lb load easily.Welcome to the land of robots.

In terms of world interest in AI, high speed internet and robotics Japan is leading the way. The marriage of man and machine in Japan is a stable and deepening one. The Japanese have always been innovative bring to the world excellent products like cameras, cars, and game consoles. But now for something different.

Is it that the Japanese as a nation just love tech, and gadgets? Perhaps. Or are they in some ways more gifted than other countries at developing this sector? The answer might be more pragmatic than poetic.

For a country that has the third largest economy in the world and a relatively small population of 127 million there is a problem. Children! Or more precisely the lack of them. When more adult diapers are sold than baby ones the problem starts to stare you in the face.

In 2014 there were around one million babies born in Japan, and that falls way short of what is needed to maintain the population of the country. If as projected, the trend of falling birth rates carries on, by 2060 the population will be just over 85 million. But long before that the pain will be felt. According to a joint survey by Persol Research and Consulting and Chuo University, Japan will face a shortage of 6.44 million workers by 2030. If one is tempted to think this is a problem for the future, think again; in fiscal 2017, 114 companies went bankrupt due to the labor shortage. This trend of company shutdown has increased year on year for four consecutive years,according to Teikoku Databank.

The other half of the problem lies at the other end of humanity's number line. The elderly. In 2014 of Japan's population of 127 million the over 65's made up 26%. And by 2060 this is estimated to rise to 46%, making Japan the fastest ageing population in the world. The equation is simple, fewer workers equal lower growth.

The government has attempted to push the birth rate up by sponsoring dating events, and helping women combine careers with child care. The latter is important as the underlying message is-we don't want you to stop working because you are essential to the present but at the same time please have more babies as you are essential for the future. The severity of the situation even led to a suggestion of selling contraceptive devices with holes in them. This option was rejected.

But some demographers think it is already too late. With a birth rate of 1.41 children per woman the line has already been crossed. By 2040 about 500 towns in rural areas will disappear and while the cities look full the country will be empty.

In September 2018 prime minister Abe declared that he was looking to raise the retirement age from 55 to 70 within the next three years. With the hope of slowing the loss of workers was well as reducing pension costs. This policy while a bold one would require a huge shift in the mindset and culture of the country's population.

Japan is one of the most traditional, mono cultural nations in the world. It has not to date opened its doors wide to the world. And is not likely to open the Pandora's box of mass immigration anytime soon.

Historically the nation has always embraced technology as a way of fuelling economic progress. So while the trend towards robotics and AI is driven by financial need; this time it has two other dimensions. Firstly, as every family provides two full time workers there's a question of who's looking after the elderly? Into this gap enter companion robots like Pepper and its animal counterparts lending practical and psychological support in the home. The other main cultural driver is the maintainenance of the purity of a Japanese way of life while avoiding the ethnic and religious conflicts evidenced in other parts of the world

In the past Japan were leaders in car manufacturing, personal walkmans, computer consoles and TV's, now through their own national needs they are the pioneers in personal robotics. And if the past trends are anything to go by Pepper, EMIEW3 and their descendants are here to stay.

Japan, while pioneering the way is not alone in hearing the heartbeat of the capitalist drum. With the merest sniff of increasing profit and reducing costs bots are now crossing continents in the guise of policemen, tour guides and autonomous vehicles. The love affair with robots is growing apace.

Japan's robot revolution was explored during "CBSN: On Assignment" -- a new primetime documentary series which premiered Monday, July 31 on the CBS Television Network and on CBSN, the network's 24/7 streaming news service.

Japan is facing a population collapse that threatens its very existence. As with many of its problems, Japan is not looking for conventional solutions. It's pressing forward in its own, uniquely Japanese way. The world's third largest economy is looking to buttress its diminishing human population with a growing population of robots.

Japan is in crisis because humans aren't having enough babies. The country has one of the world's lowest birthrates. Coupled with a strict immigration policy, the nation's numbers are on the decline, and they're about to reach freefall.

Enter Japan's robots. In a laboratory in Japan, roboticists are working on perfecting highly realistic humanoids who look, and in some cases, fidget and move, just like humans. They will one day walk amongst us.

"Sometimes we'll run her in a way that she's purely learning and she's imitating people or she's learning from data and when she does that it's really hard to know what she's gonna do next. Somehow she seems more alive that way," says one robotics researcher at the University of Osaka, home to the world's most advanced humanoids.

Dr. Hiroshi Ishiguro is known as the Godfather of Humanoids. He is renowned for his robotic clone Geminoid. Ishiguro explains that his real motivation is to understand what it means to be human by developing humanoid robots. He envisions a day when robots can be called upon to help sustain a certain quality of life in Japan.

Take, for example, the Henna Hotel in Nagasaki. It's unlike any other hotel, in that it's run mostly by robots. The hotel, the first of hundreds of locations the parent company plans to open in Japan and Asia, is extremely efficient. Most hotels of this size and class operate with staffs of over 35. Thirty five humans, that is. This hotel gets by with less than seven staff members and the goal is to get down to a staff of just three humans. And while it's currently betting on the curiosity factor to draw in visitors, it's also drawn the attention of hoteliers the world over, who are interested in the efficiencies achieved by automation.

But the motivations for this are not purely financial With one of the lowest birthrates in the world, Japan's human population of 128 million is set to plummet. The government has tried to reverse the trend by giving out money to couples to have more babies. It's even resorted to hosting and encouraging matchmaking events, which have now become a burgeoning industry.

Shiori is a 24-year-old who finds it difficult in this still traditional, male-dominated society, to initiate conversations with men. She has attended a few parties, and though she's yet to find a match, she enjoys the format of the events, which she says allow for mixing and mingling that would be difficult to do otherwise.

She says, "I think some Japanese men may be intimidated by the fact that a lot of women are making more money than they are. Men lose confidence and end up not approaching women. But unless more Japanese men take the lead in dating it'll be hard for me to date them."

Dr Kunio Kitamura is the head of Japan's Family Planning Association, which advocates reproductive health in Japan. He's also a gynecologist and sex counselor. He headed up a major study that found that, among other factors, overwork and stress was a leading cause in a staggering statistic.

He found that 47.2 percent of married couples reported having no sexual intercourse. He adds that young people, wedded to technology, have forgotten how to communicate with one another, leading to fewer connections and ultimately, fewer babies.

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