Data analysts Nomura Research Institute (NRI), led by researcher Yumi Wakao, figure that within the next 20 years, nearly half of all jobs in Japan could be accomplished by robots. Working with Professor Michael Osborne from Oxford University, who had previously investigated the same matter in both the US and UK, the NRI team examined more than 600 jobs and found that "up to 49 percent of jobs could be replaced by computer systems," according to Wakao.
The team looked at how likely each position could be automated, based on the degree of creativity required. That means jobs like operating helpdesks, delivering goods or agricultural labor are all highly susceptible to computerization while writing, teaching and doing whatever it is that Shingy does probably aren't being taken over by computers any time soon. The NRI's results are higher than what Osborne figured for the US (47 percent automation) and the UK (35 percent).




The team looked at how likely each position could be automated, based on the degree of creativity required. That means jobs like operating helpdesks, delivering goods or agricultural labor are all highly susceptible to computerization while writing, teaching and doing whatever it is that Shingy does probably aren't being taken over by computers any time soon. The NRI's results are higher than what Osborne figured for the US (47 percent automation) and the UK (35 percent). "However, this is only a hypothetical technical calculation," Wakao added. "It doesn't take into account social factors." For their part, many Japanese citizens have reportedly embraced the coming robo-revolution as it simultaneously relieves the economic pressure of the nation's rapidly-aging population while freeing the workforce to pursue more creative (and rewarding) careers.