The Cross-ministerial Strategic Innovation Promotion Program (SIP) is a national project led by the Cabinet Office, Government of Japan, and is based on the Comprehensive Strategy for Science, Technology and Innovation and the Japan Revitalization Strategy.
In the third phase of the SIP, the Council for Science, Technology and Innovation (CSTI) of the Cabinet Office has identified the key programs for solving social issues and for the Japanese economy and the industrial competitiveness, through a backcasting approach toward realizing Society 5.0. CSTI has determined the program directors (PDs) and budget allocations for them.
This project promotes research and development in a comprehensive manner, spanning from basic research to social implementation, through cross-sectoral efforts that require collaboration among government, industry, and academia.
The third phase of the SIP addresses 14 programs. NEDO, as a project management agency, supports the operation of the three programs, including overseeing the progress of research and development.
Japan is facing an unprecedented super-aged society, making it urgent to address social challenges. The country is experiencing an increasing proportion of elderly people and a declining working-age population, with the aging rate expected to reach 30% by 2025. Consequently, various lifestyle issues are expected to worsen, such as the loss of personal freedom due to the growing number of elderly people and childcare responsibilities, as well as a decline in self-sufficiency among the elderly. To address these future challenges, Japan is implementing measures such as hiring foreign workers and expanding various services. However, securing a sustainable workforce and maintaining comprehensive services across a wide area remain significant challenges.
In this context, as lifestyles and workstyles diversify due to caregiving for the elderly and vulnerable populations, as well as childcare, there is a growing need to create a safe and secure society where people of all generations can enhance their independence and freedom while resolving various lifestyle-related issues, including those in the workplace.
Considering these social challenges, Society 5.0 aims to realize a human-centered society that balances economic development with the resolution of social issues through an advanced fusion of cyber and physical spaces. The previous information society (Society 4.0) faced challenges such as insufficient cross-sector collaboration, restrictions on work and mobility due to age or disabilities, and difficulties in addressing issues like the declining birthrate, aging population, and rural depopulation. In contrast, Society 5.0 seeks to overcome these challenges using technologies such as IoH/IoT, AI, robotics, and autonomous vehicles. By doing so, it envisions a hopeful society where people of all generations respect one another and where individuals can live comfortably and actively participate in society.
As lifestyles and workstyles continue to diversify due to caregiving for the elderly and vulnerable populations, as well as childcare, we aim to realize a safe and secure society where people of all generations can enhance their independence and freedom while resolving various lifestyle-related issues, including those in the workplace. To achieve this, we will implement HCPS Human-Collaborative Robotics (a fusion of "human" + "cyber-physical space" human-cooperative robotics) in society, working in an integrated manner to address the entire scope of this challenge.
By the 2025 fiscal year, to accomplish our mission, we will assess the progress of foundamental technologies required for HCPS Human-Cooperative Robotics. This will include evaluations of system integration and operational technologies that link relevant technologies for sub-challenges of these foundational technologies, as well as assessments of social implementation-related technologies. Additionally, as part of our efforts to achieve the mission of this challenge, we will launch an association (New Industry Promotion Alliance, comprising related companies, insurance firms, construction companies, relevant associations, etc.) to advance human-collaborative robotics that integrates "humans" + "cyber-physical space" (including talent development). This initiative will ensure a robust driving force by establishing comprehensive measures such as introduction-promoting rules and private insurance frameworks. By the 2027 fiscal year, we will begin full-scale social implementation and practical operation of systems corresponding to specific use cases at more than ten locations, including international sites. Through feedback from real-world operations, we will establish an innovation-driven cycle toward a sustainable and evolving economic system.
By approximately the 2033 fiscal year, we plan to expand business deployment to more than 30 locations domestically and internationally. In addition to the vertical expansion of these initiatives, we will also extend them horizontally into other domains, such as the intersection of "economy/security." As a comprehensive approach to life innovation across various fields, we will leverage this virtuous cycle to drive further strategic innovations led by a unified public-private partnership, continuing to lead the world forward.
Please see below for the "Strategy for social implementation and R&D plan(Written in Japanese)" of this project.
Strategy for social implementation and R&D plan(Written in Japanese)
Please see below for the "Pamphlet (Distributed at the SIP/BRIDGE Symposium)" of this project. (Written in Japanese)
Pamphlet (Updated November 2024)
