Society 5.0, Digital Transformation and Disasters

This book presents the evolution of the science technology paradigm in Japan and analyzes the critical community and local governance issues from the perspectives of the changing risk landscape, Society 5.0, and digital transformation. It also provides suggestions for the future development of a resilient society and community, by drawing lessons from other countries.

Advancements in science technology in recent decades in Japan and the world might have increased our capacity to tackle the adverse human consequences of various kinds of disasters and environmental issues. However, the accompanied and interlinking phenomena of urbanization, climate change, rural to urban migration, population decreases, and aged population have posed new challenges, especially in the small, medium-sized cities, and in rural areas of Japan. This is also enhanced by the risk of cascading, complex and systemic risk, which is defining a new normal as “living with uncertainties”.

Society 5.0 is defined as "A human-centered society that balances economic advancement with the resolution of social problems by a system that highly integrates cyberspace and physical space." Society 5.0 was proposed in the 5th Science and Technology Basic Plan as a future society that Japan should aspire to. Society 5.0 achieves a high degree of convergence between cyberspace (virtual space) and physical space (real space), compared with the past information society (Society 4.0) that people would access a cloud service (databases) in cyberspace via the Internet and search for, retrieve, and analyze information or data.

In Japan, in the initial stage, a great deal of confusion about the number of people infected with coronavirus occurred. Not only made it inefficient, but it did not produce the accurate data needed for critical decisions.

Japan may have unique disadvantages compared with other countries. Trying to drive digitization without thoroughly understanding these disadvantages and addressing them head-on will only lead to failed digital transformations.

With these three pillars of changing risk landscape, Society 5.0, and Digital transformation drive, the book will analyze the evolution of the science technology paradigm in Japan, will go deeper into the critical community and local governance issues, and will provide suggestions for future development of resilient society and community, by drawing lessons from overseas disaster risk reduction.