Japan may pick robots over immigrants

Japan, like many countries across the globe, is facing huge challenges in caring for its aging population.
Its hospitals are stretched because there are not enough nurses to cope.
The low birth rate there means foreign workers need to be recruited but there is a widespread opposition to immigration in the country as many Japanese value an ethnically homogenous society.
For some, robots may be preferable to allowing foreigners to work there.
Roland Buerk reports from Osaka.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8687196.stm

all I want to know is, who else would jump that!

bazmaiden

In before "they took our jerbs"

rockmongrel

Anyone else notice how the BBC volume thing goes up to 11

GLaDOS

bazmaiden wrote: »

In before "they took our jerbs"

http://192.20.225.36/tts/speech/c64bcacf888f046c1028d4277598f4e4.wav

Stratige

Japan, like many countries across the globe, is facing huge challenges in caring for its aging population.
Its hospitals are stretched because there are not enough nurses to cope.
The low birth rate there means foreign workers need to be recruited but there is a widespread opposition to immigration in the country as many Japanese value an ethnically homogenous society.
For some, robots may be preferable to allowing foreigners to work there.

RoboNurse wrote: »

Ah jedly...

:pac:

L.Jenkins

I think if I was a lad of my 80s without much knowledge of robots or even exposure, I'd be liable to kick the bucket sooner with a stroke.

The_Minister

I know that they are putting large amounts of money into farm robots so that older and fewer farmers can do more work

KevinVonSpiel

rockmongrel wrote: »

Anyone else notice how the BBC volume thing goes up to 11

I had a while ago, then forgot about it.

On topic; can't wait 'til they do the daryl hannah one.

Le King

DEY TUK ER JERBS!

theboxer

Another great idea by the Japanese. Robots dont require pensions, welfare benefits, medical care, child allowance, rent allowance, various numbers of quangos, language classes, etc.

strobe

theboxer wrote: »

Another great idea by the Japanese. Robots dont require pensions, welfare benefits, medical care, child allowance, rent allowance, various numbers of quangos, language classes, etc.

That just makes them all the more dangerous when they achieve self awareness and start harvesting the old they are supposed to care for for their body heat in order to power their energy cells.

Overheal

Japan's robot takeover has been well documented for the last 25 or so years.

Its pretty much all there in Gundam.

General Zod

theboxer wrote: »

Another great idea by the Japanese. Robots dont require pensions, welfare benefits, medical care, child allowance, rent allowance, various numbers of quangos, language classes, etc.

Aye, the most racist society on Earth would rather go for vaporware technology than give a job to a filthy gaijin.

gurramok

Where are all the PC dogooders objecting to Japans 'racist' policy?

Unless the Japanese are taking on foreign robots as a form of immigration

kuntboy

Exposes PC for the sham it is. When a powerful target like Japan breaks their "rules" they are silent.

biko

Japanese are fervently racist. As are Saudi Arabians.
PC police can only complain about so much, can you guys help out a bit?

wes

Japan is pretty clearly Xenophobic (and in some cases pretty damn racist), and it will be interesting to see, if they can create robots to replace Human workers, that actually do the job as well.

Now, if the Robot thing doesn't work out, there in for a heap of trouble.

General Zod

kuntboy wrote: »

Exposes PC for the sham it is. When a powerful target like Japan breaks their "rules" they are silent.

What are you talking about?

Tristram

Go robots!

Roar

ummmm... Judgment Day anyone? How long before they become self aware? and kill us all? and christian bale ends up shouting a lot in the future?

Balls to that..

NothingMan

I saw this documentary once, Terminator 2 I believe it was called. This may not end well.

mikom

Not posted yet............ for shame.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gbkhla8Ivlk

ejmaztec

I wonder if this is a way of getting rid of all of those silver-painted robotic twats who turn up at festivals?

Tristram

ah jaysus, there was no need to bring that Styx ****e into this

Gurgle

"many Japanese value an ethnically homogenous society"

What an absolutely disgraceful article.

There is an element of xenophobia in Japan, mostly in the low-education end of the older generations, certainly not with the younger crowd. Its no different to what we get here.

antodeco

At least Stephen Hawking can get a job....



:pac:

gurramok

Gurgle wrote: »

"many Japanese value an ethnically homogenous society"

What an absolutely disgraceful article.

There is an element of xenophobia in Japan, mostly in the low-education end of the older generations, certainly not with the younger crowd. Its no different to what we get here.

Complain to the BBC?

biko

There's a good blog here about being a black American in Japan in case anyone is interested.

Anyway, if someone can make this whole robots thing actually work it's the Japanese. They're very far along when it comes to technology. Japan leads the world in building robots, and the bots show remarkable skill. Honda’s famous android, Asimo, has served tea, conducted the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and freaked-out James May of the BBC program Top Gear. Toyota’s robots have even played the violin and the trumpet.

Nevyn

Persocom for all.

theboxer

Gurgle wrote: »

"many Japanese value an ethnically homogenous society"

What an absolutely disgraceful article.

Why?

We could learn a lot from the Japanese. Its a pity that there has not been any real debate on the multiculturalism issue in this country, rather a blanket acceptance by the majority of the opinion-makers and powers that be, especially within the state media, that multi-culturalism is something to be embraced, is welcome and it is progressive. Just because. We are moving towards a multicultural society it would seem by default, with little to commend such a model in my view, and more importantly with little public discussion on the subject.

pickarooney

biko wrote: »

There's a good blog here about being a black American in Japan in case anyone is interested.

Not Bob Sapp wrote:

I don't know how much of the remaining .6% are Chinese nationals, but even if we were to assume zero that's still only .6% of the population that is foreign and obviously so

Am I reading him wrong or does he start his rant about Japanese people thinking all black people look alike by casually implying that all East Asian people look alike?

Nodin

theboxer wrote: »

Why?

We could learn a lot from the Japanese.
.

Absolutely. Just not on treating other peoples.

theboxer wrote: »

Its a pity that (....) subject.

Yeah, yeah.

Orange69

Wanting an ethnically homogeneous society is racist and disgraceful??
How utterly brain dead and moronic are the libtards posting in this thread, it really is astounding! Are you guys not embarrassed to hear yourselves?

Multiculturalism (particularly the middle eastern/african kind) is a ticking time bomb is most all European nations. It obvious to anyone with even a low level of objective mental function.

bonerm

pickarooney wrote: »

Am I reading him wrong or does he start his rant about Japanese people thinking all black people look alike by casually implying that all East Asian people look alike?

He's right tho. All Asian men look like Ichiro Suzuki, or so I have read.

Gurgle

theboxer wrote: »

multi-culturalism is something to be embraced, is welcome and it is progressive

Yes, good points.
I agree completely.

Rowley Birkin QC

01110111 01100101 00100000 01110100 01110101 01101011 00100000 01111001 01100101 01110010 00100000 01101010 01100101 01110010 01100010 01100010 01110011 01110011 01110011 00100001 00100001

pickarooney

Orange69 wrote: »

Multiculturalism (particularly the middle eastern/african kind) is a ticking time bomb is most all European nations. It obvious to anyone with even a low level of objective mental function.

Says the pandimensionalist.

theboxer

Gurgle wrote: »

Yes, good points.
I agree completely.

Have a listen to Mark Steyn tear apart multiculturalism.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdEGJb5W5ks

MikeC101

Rowley Birkin QC wrote: »

01110111 01100101 00100000 01110100 01110101 01101011 00100000 01111001 01100101 01110010 00100000 01101010 01100101 01110010 01100010 01100010 01110011 01110011 01110011 00100001 00100001

Binary solo!

Er, I mean : 010000100110100101101110011000010111001001111001001000000111001101101111011011000110111100100001

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ia9N_wZaoa4

whatduck

Didn't they watch Ghost in the Shell.. This won't end well!

Dont be at yourself

biko wrote: »

There's a good blog here about being a black American in Japan in case anyone is interested.

Anyway, if someone can make this whole robots thing actually work it's the Japanese. They're very far along when it comes to technology. Japan leads the world in building robots, and the bots show remarkable skill. Honda’s famous android, Asimo, has served tea, conducted the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and freaked-out James May of the BBC program Top Gear. Toyota’s robots have even played the violin and the trumpet.

And he's great at falling down stairs too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASoCJTYgYB0

Anyway, in my experience Japan is a fairly xenophobic - even racist - country. It's an attitude that exists at all levels of society, though it's obviously stronger in the older, more rural Japanese person.

It's not malicious or hateful though, it's mostly born out of ignorance. Japan was sealed off from the world for a long time, and opened itself up less than 200 years ago. The only contact they had with Western civilisation was trading on a couple of islands with Dutch merchants, until the yanks showed up with gunboats in Tokyo Bay in the mid 1800s. And even since then, its location and culture has resulted in very few Westerners settling there.

On top of that, the culture clash is so huge that it's quite understandable that the Japanese are wary of Westerners. There's a huge importance placed on respect, decorum and formality in Japan, so when a load of oi-oi-brits-abroad rock up in Tokyo to go on the tear, it creates a poor image of foreigners in Japan. Obviously not all foreigners are like that - but the few that are stand out a mile from normal Japanese society, where loutish behaviour, petty crime and so on is very rare.

It's changing though, and changing quickly. In many ways, it's no different to Ireland a few decades ago. Black and Asian communities were non-existent and met with ignorance when they did arrive, but we quickly adapted and now we don't bat an eyelid.

pickarooney

theboxer wrote: »

Have a listen to Mark Steyn tear apart multiculturalism.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdEGJb5W5ks

He's been a bit crap since BrassEye.

theboxer

pickarooney wrote: »

He's been a bit crap since BrassEye.

He is on top form in that clip.

Nodin

pickarooney wrote: »

He's been a bit crap since BrassEye.

If he lived here, I'd hide life-size cardboard cut outs of muslims amongst his shrubbery. Not out of cruelty now, just exposure therapy.

Nodin

theboxer wrote: »

He is on top form in that clip.

Yeah, he even manages not to give tacit support to ethnic cleansing, the way he did in his nasty little book.

Gurgle

theboxer wrote: »

Have a listen to Mark Steyn tear apart multiculturalism.

No, thanks.

theboxer

Nodin wrote: »

Yeah, he even manages not to give tacit support to ethnic cleansing, the way he did in his nasty little book.

No, no he did not.

cherryghost

Being in Japan i learned that me and my mates were constantly being called 'western devils', 'american dirt' and 'sinful race'

that is all. robots ftw. Code Geass taught me that the English will rise though.

Gurgle

cherryghost wrote: »

Being in Japan i learned that me and my mates were constantly being called 'western devils', 'american dirt' and 'sinful race'

Just out of interest:
How did you learn this?
Were you falling around drunk at the time?

Wossack

...thats it AWESOM-O, get it up there good and deep

LAME

General Zod

theboxer wrote: »

No, no he did not.

is stormfront down?