Third Activity Project

International Education: Politics
and Policy
Mary
2017
Third activity: The Robotics Revolution in Japan

International Education: Politics and Policy
Choose one year in the history and explain the innovation in
robotics………………………………………………………………………..2
Analyze the Abenomics policy and the robotics reform in the so called three
arrows………………………………………………………………………....11
Choose one Japanese soft power product related to robotics and explain why you
like it and the impact it may have…………………………………………….17
Analysis of the work of professor Ishiguro at Osaka University……………20
References……………………………………………………………………
2
1. Choose one year in history and explain the innovation in robotics.
The Japanese have been developing their robotics technology since the 1920’s, the
humble beginnings of modern day Japanese robotics research can be traced back to a
rather peculiar looking three meter high robot called Gakutensoku, which means “laws
of nature” in Japanese. It was capable of carrying out a few tricks, for example, it could
open and close its eyes, raise its head, hold up a rod with one hand and write with the
other, while it appeared to be breathing. Quite impressive really, especially if we
consider the fact that it functioned on fuel dynamics. (Nippon .com Japan’s First Robot,
2012/07/30)
Nowadays, Gakutensoku doesn’t respond to our modern perception of robots, although

the second connotation of the word, as defined by the Oxford English Dictionary is
quite fitting. “Robot, (especially in science fiction) a machine resembling a human
being and able to replicate certain human movements and functions automatically”.
Modern robots have evolved so much so that the main definition in the same dictionary
is now, “a machine capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically,
especially one programmable by a computer”. The drastic shift in the definition of the
term gives us an idea of the accomplishments made and the milestones that have been
passed on the way, from the simple replication of human gestures and basic functions to
the creation of robots that are capable of making decisions, performing many tasks
better than humans as well as being able to identify people’s feelings and act
accordingly. The definition of the word in the near future will undoubtedly have to be
revised so as to include a reference to the autonomous learning and decision making
capacities of robots. The word robot comes from the Czech word robota, meaning
forced labor, and was first introduced in 1920 in the play R.U.R. Rossum's Universal
Robots in 1920 by the playwright K. Čapek. (Robot - definition of robot in English |
Oxford Dictionaries, n.d.)
Obviously a brief history of robots in Japan exceeds the purpose of this paper and the
great body of research that has taken us to where we are now is rather too extensive to
cover, therefore, in accordance with the instructions provided, the first part of this paper
will focus on the innovation in robotics in a given year, for this purpose I have chosen
the year 2011. This particular year has been selected because it is the year the
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Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster occurred. An interesting fact to the consider is
that while robots have played and continue playing the most important role in the clean-
up that followed the disaster, at first, despite being the most robotically advanced
country in the world, Japanese robots were deemed insufficient to perform the tasks that
were to be carried out so foreign developed robots had to be employed.
J. M. Glionna and Y. Nagano wrote in the Los Angeles Times in 2011, “ Critics [of
Japanese policy] say Japanese scientists have wasted too much of their expertise
developing such gimmicky technology as robots that can sing, dance and play musical
instruments rather than more practical versions that could have been put to use in a
national emergency."I think that is unfair to say, the Japanese are renowned for their
manufacturing and industrial robots with numerous applications and not only for their
“cool” robots. Masahiro Sakigawara, quoted in the same article, seems to point out that
Japanese faith in the absolute safety of nuclear power made them think they would
never need to develop or deploy such robots, (Glionna & Nagano, 08/06/2011).
I thought it would be interesting to learn about the particular lines of investigation that
were being followed around the time of the disaster as well as the innovations that took
place in that same year. The main source of the information gathered on the particular
innovations in 2011 is taken from the web page of the Robotics Society of Japan, which
provides a chronicle of robot innovation in Japan since the 1960’s, great care has been
taken to compliment and enrich this information with other sources.
Firstly, I would like to explain the classification used on the fore mentioned website.
Items are classified in five different categories.
1. Integration: this category refers to items that fit different subsystems into the
same shell, for example, motor, sensory and artificial intelligence incorporated
into a robot in order to reproduce human characteristics such as learning, in
simple terms, a robot “brain”.
2. Manipulation: items designed to carry out human tasks by emulating human
movement and coordination.
3. Locomotion: products designed and built with an emphasis on walk motion and
movement, particularly on challenging terrain.
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4. Sensing: products developed to assist in the localization of objects through
touch, camera vision, voice recognition and even odor recognition.
5. Business: while the items in this category can share many of the characteristics
of the previous ones, this section refers to robots developed specifically to meet
the need of certain sectors, for example, industry or tourism.
Integration
Giant leaps were made in 2011 in terms of Ubiquitous Displays. Human centered
information transfer robots, developed by J.H. Lee of Ritsumeikan University, make it
possible to transfer information or content to humans in 2 or 3D. The computer knows
where the human is looking and can project the content without him having to move.
Snapshot taken from YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mD3b3AEZMHE
It radically changes the way we transfer information, this technology can provide
information while moving by presenting content to the user anywhere, for example, a
wall, ceiling, billboard or floor. It does not need to be held in a fixed place and can
therefore choose the best point from which to project the information. Users can get
information whenever and wherever they want, hands-free, hence the name, human-
centered. (AIS Lab. 2015 Google Translate)
Furthermore, visual information presentation is not only performed by projecting

images through the projector, but also by utilizing the characteristics of the projector,
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which has the ability to create augmented reality (AR) by overlaying an image on a real
thing to achieve more intuitive and understandable information.(AIS Lab Ubiquitous
Display, 2015. Google Translate)
The practical applications are mainly commercial at the moment, one example which is
mentioned in the last article cited is that U.D.s could be used to provide information
support to people at large public facilities such as shopping centers, the systems would
integrate models that help them understand the optimum position and the intention of
the user before displaying the information. It seems obvious that this technology would
draw much attention from the entertainment and gaming industries, due to their
potential for engaging people, maybe this same capacity for engagement could lead to
an educational application in the future to captivate the learner.
Another, innovation from 2011 and in my opinion the most exciting, is the Self-
Regulation Mechanism by Sony, described in the paper as a principle for continual
autonomous learning in open-ended environments. This development is breathtaking, it
uses the intelligence dynamics approach to create a highly intelligent home companion
robot and harnesses the meta-cognitive strategies employed in learning to make said
companion capable of lifelong learning. In the past, robots only performed the tasks
they were programmed to do, generally in a fixed environment, now they learn and
explore their surroundings in a similar way to humans and therefore have fewer
limitations.
The example given involves a robot in a maze which, by trial and error, successfully
builds a model in a reduced period of time which allows it to find its way to any given
point in the maze once the model has been completed, in other words, this robot builds
its own memory.
The designers, K. Kawamoto el al (Sony Labs), base their studies on a basic principal of
educational psychology, “that changing one’s strategy for learning in accordance with
judgment on one’s knowing can greatly improve learning,”(Kawamoto, pp.74, 2009).
Meta-cognitive awareness (knowing about what you know) and meta-cognitive
regulation (behavior regulation and learning strategies) are the principals of self
regulated learning. The robot’s behavioral strategy is to explore if it is in a known
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environment but only to identify if it is in an unknown one, its leaning strategy also
differs depending on the environment in which it encounters itself, a global update is
carried out in known environments but only a local update is done in unknown ones,
thus making it easier to learn. (Kawamoto. pp. 73-80, 2009)
Huge advances are being made in the field of self-teaching robots, in the same year, the
Hasagawa laboratory in Tokyo Institute of Technology developed a robot that can make
“educated guesses about how to perform a task based on past experiences” or even ask
other robots around the world if it can’t carry the job out successfully by itself, it
actually knows when it is in a situation that requires asking another robot or the
Internet. (PC Magazine,Yin, 02/08/2011). The technology used is SOINN, self-
organizing incremental neural network and the possibilities are endless as not only does
it allow robots to learn from past experiences it also lets robots around the world pool
their knowledge making them more intelligent.
Snapshot of SOINN robot making its first cup of tea, source; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OC2TTslf_YM
A huge breakthrough was made in the area of adaptability-behavior studies with the
creation of a fully autonomous insect cyborg which has a mobile robot (controlled by
the brain of a silk moth) as its body.
The scientific name is BHMS (brain-machine hybrid system) and it was developed by
researchers from the Research Institute of the National Rehabilitation Center for
Persons with Disabilities, the Tokyo Institute of Technology and the University of
Tokyo. The behavior studied is that of the silk moth when exposed to a sex pheromone
and its strategy for odor source orientation.
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One of the key evolutionary strengths of all animal life, including humans, is the
capacity to adapt behavior and execute tasks in accordance with changing
environmental conditions, if this can be achieved in the field of robotics, it will certainly
constitute an important milestone in the fourth revolution. The developers of the cyborg
believe it offers a unique opportunity to observe insect behavior in a non static
environment and that “the algorithm contained in the insect central nervous systems will
lead [us] to new ideas for constructing algorithms for behaving properly under a
changing environment to complete a task.”(Kanzaki et al, 2013 n.p.)
(Source; Research gate)
All the items in this section are related to the field of artificial intelligence (AI) applied
to robotics, it makes them smarter and more human-like while the research also helps us
understand ourselves and how we learn and adapt better.
Manipulation
Now that we have taken a look at the developments made in robot “brains”, we shall
have a look at another category in robotics innovation that is also very important; the
way robots handle or manipulate objects. According to the researchers on the high speed
robot, design in robotics had been focused primarily on reproducing human capabilities
whereas little time had been devoted to achieving high speed mechanical systems to
perform tasks. Researchers at the University of Tokyo and the Chiba University have
worked to counter this and created a super fast and precise multi-fingered robot hand
system whose movements are so quick that the human eye cannot perceive them. This
complex hand has a total of eight joints and is comprised of two wrist joints and two
thumbs, both (thumbs) with 3 degrees of freedom, and an index finger with 2 degrees of
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freedom; the result is an extremely agile mechanism allows a robot to react quickly in
changing circumstances.
Human movement is not only precise and slow, like writing or sewing, but also fast and
dynamic, examples of dynamic response are hitting, catching or grasping, for this
reason, human movement is more flexible and dexterous. One of the goals of this
research is “to develop a high-speed multi-fingered hand system for dynamic
manipulation with a visual feedback controller” (Ishikawa et al, Intl. Conference on
Intelligent Robots and Systems.pdf,” pp 2066, 2003.) Robot hands that react to
changing conditions are becoming more and more necessary as robots evolve and
perform ever more complex tasks. And it must be said that it is pretty impressive to see
a robot dribble a basketball.
Source; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-
Locomotion
This is the area where development was revealed to be most needed in the aftermath of
the Fukushima nuclear catastrophe, TEPCO first used American robots to explore the
plant in places where the radiation was too high for humans to enter, these robots were
able to descend stairs, in sharp contrast to the Japanese robot Quince, who had been sent
to measure the radiation in the reactor and got stuck on the stairs, much to Japanese
embarrassment. Curiously, Quince had been designed with the purpose of providing
relief in nuclear or biological disasters. (Hays, n.d.)
More profound study would be required before one could venture to say with any
degree of certainty that the Fukushima accident pushed researchers in Japan to further
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the technology in the area of locomotion, especially in challenging terrain, although it
does seem a reasonable supposition.
In the year 2011, three of the five items on the list of the Robotics Society are
innovations that could well be put to use in Fukushima or indeed elsewhere to carry out
search, retrieve and surveillance missions in conditions deemed too dangerous for
humans. They are the autonomous navigation of a humanoid over unknown terrain, a
dynamic rolling-walk robot and a running gait. The other two were of great use to the
wheelchair bound in improving their mobility over uneven ground or steps. Due to
space restrictions I will deal with these 5 innovations briefly in two separate categories,
robots that improve and human mobility and robots that can substitute humans in
dangerous situations.
Robotics that improve human mobility
The cooperative step climbing robot acts as an assistant to the wheelchair bound and
allows them to overcome environmental obstacles such as steps, it is cooperative
because, it helps the user and once a step is overcome, the robot uses the wheelchair to
climb and therefore can continue helping until all the steps have been climbed. The key
to understanding how innovative this item is in the fact that the robot’s engine doesn’t
need much torque as it relies on the wheelchair to provide the point from which it can
pull itself up, this is certainly an advance. It is also very stable so therefore reduces fall
risk.
This innovation is meant for a particular type of step, as we can appreciate in the photo,
which is common in urban areas. This creation offers the possibility of reducing barriers
in urban areas to people with reduced mobility. It can also be applied to heavy carts or
other vehicles and its applications are not limited only to helping people.
In the picture on the left we can see the robot helping itself up the step
by hanging from the wheelchair that it just helped up the stairs. Source: http://rraj.rsj-web.org/en_history
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A skid steering vehicle with feet for moving on all terrain
This is a robotic vehicle with four wheels, similar to a wheelchair in design although it
is equipped with five metal rods per wheel which can be employed to climb steps and
overcome other obstacles. These devices would offer wheelchair users a whole new
range of possibilities. I am not sure if that is the sole intention of the designers, the
Japanese seem to have become a bit obsessed with robots being able to climb steps after
the embarrassing experience with Quince in Fukushima. Nevertheless, it has many
applications within the area of field robotics, “the term “field robotics” was created to
distinguish an emphasis on robotics in unconstrained, uncontrived settings, typically
outdoors and in the full range of operational and environmental conditions: robotics in
the ‘natural' world.” (Robotics Institute Research Guide : Definition Field
Robotics,”n.d.)
Snapshot Source: http://rraj.rsj-web.org/en_history
Robots that can substitute humans in dangerous situations
Once again we see the Japanese obsession with stairs in the aftermath of Fukushima,
this time in the form of a humanoid that can autonomously navigate unknown terrain.
This humanoid integrates online terrain shape map generation, online footstep planning
and robust walking control to achieve a sturdy and reliable bipedal model that could be
sent to do many tasks that would be too dangerous for humans. It navigates through its
surroundings by using a scanning-type laser range sensor with a swinging mechanism
attached to its upper body and is equipped with error compensation to make it steadier.
This is certainly an advance as bipedal models have traditionally been unstable and
researchers have found that “the solution to this problem requires an accurate perception
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system, a path planner that decides step placement, and a robust walking controller”
(Nishiwaki et al, 2012 pp. 1251 The International Journal of Robotics Research.)
Humanoid navigates uneven terrain source http://rraj.rsj-web.org/en_history
Another biped robot was developed at Honda in 2011, with the difference being that this
one is can run at high speed without losing balance due to the clever inclusion of mass
on both feet, and an inverted pendulum and a flywheel in the upper body.
Unsurprisingly, it won Best Paper Award in 2012. The dynamic model employed seems
to make it extremely flexible and the only limit to this humanoid lies in the technology
that is mounted, if it incorporates SOINN technology and high speed hands then the
results and possibilities will be astounding.
Source: http://rraj.rsj-web.org/en_history
The last development that we will deal with in this category is field robot with a
dynamic rolling walk. It is a multi-legged robot, somewhat like a six legged spider,
which is hardly surprising as many robot movements are inspired by animals. Its shape
gives it many advantages in terms of being able to access dangerous areas that would be
inaccessible to humans in order to carry out surveillance, or take samples. It has high
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mobility because of its rotating legs and can fit through very small spaces by using only
two legs.
Source:http://rraj.rsjweb.org/back_wp/wp-
content/uploads/AREDIT_VOL25_ISS1-2_pp75-91_2011.pdf
Business
There were no items listed in the ”sensing” category for 2011 but there was an
interesting innovation in the business category, the Tele-communication assist robot,
HOSPI-Rimo by Panasonic, specifically aimed at responding to the new needs created
by Japan’s ageing population, more specifically improve productivity and efficiency in
hospital staff. This 1970’s looking robot can carry out the functions of an errands boy, a
courier or security staff; it can also be used as a telephone or even to provide remote
care to patients in hospitals. This particular robot is designed for hospitals but it
undoubtedly has many applications in a diverse range of places from airports to major
public events. Japan’s ageing population is forcing it to innovate like no other country.
HOSPI-Rimo: Source http://rraj.rsj-web.org/en_history
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As we can judge, the category of locomotion was the one which experienced the most
innovation in the year 2011, this may have been given an impulse by the Fukushima
disaster and the necessities it created.
2. Analyze the Abenomics policy and the robotics reform in the so called three
arrows.
Abenomics is the name given to the ambitious multi-pronged economic policy of

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who has been in power since 2012. He previously
served as Prime Minister in 2006 but resigned due to health problems. He later
reappeared in politics as Prime Minister in 2012 and was later reelected to serve the
position in 2014. He is the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, which has ruled
almost continuously since the end of the American occupation of post-war Japan. The
party’s politics are right-wing conservative in terms of social policy and liberal (leaning
towards neoliberal since the earthquake of 2011, (T Hashimoto EBR_v5n2_99.pdf,”
n.d.) in economic terms.
To understand the current policy we have to bear in mind that Japan suffered a stagnant
economy for almost 20 years. Previous to the crash, Japan had experienced
overwhelming economic growth in the1980’s when the country’s industrial and
electronic sectors went from strength to strength, there was a huge demand for Japanese
products on the international market and the Yen was strong, which made it quite cheap
for the Japanese to make overseas investments. From 1985 until 1995 the Japanese
economy was number one in the world in terms of incremental GDP (nominal).
(Wikipedia, 2016)
Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse in the mid-nineties and the bottom fell
out of both real estate and financial markets, giving way to what came to be known as
“the lost decade”. Repeated attempts to bring back the glory days of the Japanese
economy failed, the specter of deflation overshadowed all endeavors to recover.
Deflation is dangerous for an economy because it increases the real value of debt while,
at the same time, it reduces the real value of money. Japanese Finance Minister, Taro
Aso, called deflation “slow motion death” in a speech at the CSIS (Center for Strategic
and International Studies) Statesmen’s Forum in April 2013( Aso, Deputy Prime
Minister and Finance Minister of Japan | Center for Strategic and International Studies).
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Persistent deflation in Japan may be explained by a combination of various factors, the
working paper published by the Bank of Japan in 2011 entitled Chronic Deflation in
Japan by K. Nishizaki, Y. Ueno and T. Sekine points out that these factors may be,
“public attitudes (‘norm’) toward the price level; central bank communication; weaker
growth expectations coupled with declining potential growth or the lower natural rate of
interest; risk averse banking behaviors; deregulation in the distribution chain; and the
rise of emerging economies.” (Chronic Deflation in Japan pp 31 2011) Obviously,
Japan’s demography plays a huge part in this too, it is an economic fact that the older
people are, the less they spend and the more they save, in addition an ageing population
implies a smaller workforce and therefore lower productivity in a society. (Robots)
The Economist describes Abenomics as “a mix of reflation, government spending and

growth strategy designed to jolt the economy out of the suspended animation that has
gripped it for more than two decades.” (The Economist 06/2013 Abe’s master plan,)
The policy is based on a three arrow approach, these arrows are, aggressive monetary
easing from the Bank of Japan, huge fiscal stimulus to increase spending and
investment and major structural reform to improve competiveness. (“Abenomics
Definition from Financial Times Lexicon,” n.d.) The ultimate aim is to reach a GDP of
600 trillion Yen while reaching the 2% inflation target.
The first arrow, monetary easing means that a central bank puts more of a currency in
circulation. Shinzo Abe put pressure on the Bank of Japan to print more Yen and
therefore increase the amount in circulation, the result of this monetary policy, also
referred to as quantitative easing, results in a rise in the price of goods, this is designed
to force people to stop saving and start spending, thus leader to a greater cash flow on
the market. This also lowers the value of the Yen, this at first may sound negative, we
must bear in mind that it makes Japanese goods more attractive to other countries as
they can be cheaply imported, this is designed to increase the demand for Japanese
products abroad.
The second arrow is aims to increase government spending, this ambitious fiscal policy
involves increased spending on welfare, childcare, nursing, public works and debt
repayment. Japan has a massive debt, in 2013 it was more than twice its GDP
(Wikipedia National debt of Japan 2017), while this repaying this debt faster is a risk,
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Abe is prepared to take that risk as it is a well known fact in economics that such levels
of debt can stunt growth. Massive public spending on infrastructure was announced, this
creates employment, improves infrastructure and will prepare Japan for the Olympic
Games in 2020, where it will showcase all its innovations to date.
The last of the arrows regards deep structural change; it consists of a collection of
economic policies aimed at increasing Japan’s competitiveness by removing trade
barriers with other countries (Trans Pacific Partnership), allowing domestic companies
to compete on an international level, and opening protected industries such as fishing
and farming to the market thus diversifying it. It also involves getting more women and
elderly people back into the workforce as well as raising salaries; it could be described
as classic market liberalism. Reducing corporate tax is central to this “arrow” as it is
believed to be what will lead to these higher salaries.
In December 2016, the Japanese government published a document in English titled

Abenomics, (“abenomics.pdf” n.d.) the purpose of the document is to inform foreign
investors and the international community of it progress so far, it claims that the policy
is enjoying great success. It reports a rise in GDP, in corporate profits, a drop in
unemployment figures and even a lower suicide rate, all the data proceeds from
Japanese ministries, however, public opinion doesn’t seem to be on Abe’s side, a poll
published in July 2016 revealed that over 50% of people do not believe the policy will
lift the Japanese economy. (The Japan Times 07/2016)
Aside from all the challenges facing Japan that we have dealt with, we must bear in
mind that the rise of China is most certainly one of the factors to be taken into account
when analyzing Abenomics as it is also about national security. Abe has been known to
use the Meiji slogan fukoku kyohei: enrich the country, strengthen the army, (The
Economist Abe’s master plan 2013). The threat of a strong China is definitely on Abe’s
priority list and much of government spending is being dedicated to military expansion
with the result being that its former self-defense forces are now a fully fledged military
force larger than that of Great Britain.
There is much evidence that the driving force behind the policy is not only economics,
Reuters published a special report entitled, “The Deeper Agenda Behind Abenomics” in
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May 2013, the report states that what really motivates Abe is his desire to loosen
constitutional constraints on the military, seen as US impositions after Japanese defeat
in 1945, and restore traditional Japanese values such as pride in its history as well as
group harmony, in stark contrast to what an advisor to Abe, Komori, is quoted as
saying; "the constitution puts individual rights too far out in front.” The report goes on
to explain that after his failed term in government in 2006/07 he realized that the public
was far more concerned about the economy, pensions and welfare than it was about the
controversial article 9 and according to polls a hasty move towards reforming the
constitution could cost him an election. He appears to rely on the success of his
economics policy to gain trust and thus sway public opinion in favor of his deeper
agenda. (“Special Report,” 2013)
The three arrows of the robot revolution
Part of the government initiative to generate a flourishing economy involves massive

support to push for growth in the field of robotics. As we have mentioned previously, a
declining birth-rate, the most rapidly ageing population in the world and an ever smaller
workforce are the major social challenges facing Japan. Robots are viewed as being the
key to solving such problems by reducing labor shortages in a variety of sectors from
industry to medical and nursing care. The Japan Revitalizing Strategy, 2014, outlines a
new industrial revolution driven by robots that would improve productivity and raise
both company profits and wages. A Robot Revolution realization Council was set up to
advise the Ministry of Economy Trade and industry, that same year, 2014, it published
recommendations based on the compiled report what stated that the robot revolution
could be achieved and should focus on three arrows or pillars,
1. Fundamental enhancement of Japan’s robot-creation ability so as to make Japan

as robot innovation hub in the world.
2. Utilization and dissemination of robots across Japan, namely, an effort for
showcasing robots to the world, aiming to achieve a society with the highest
level of robot utilization in the world and to realize the daily life that robots exist
all over Japan.
3. Development of the Robot Revolution expecting its dissemination around the
world, aiming to formulate business rules on the premise of interconnection
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among robots and autonomous accumulation and utilization of data by such
robots, to globally standardize Japan’s robot technologies, and to disseminate
such approach to broader fields. (“METI, 介護分野におけるロボット活用 -
0123_01c.pdf,” n.d.)
The first arrow would consolidate Japan’s reputation as the most robotically advanced
nation in the world and greatly increase its soft power. Combined with the effects of a
weakening Yen, it would lead to an increase in robot exportation as their price would be
more attractive. The second arrow can be considered in two parts, the showcasing to the
world is planned to take place during the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games while the
integration of robots in all aspects of life all over Japan is almost certainly aimed at
reducing labor shortages and increasing productivity. The final arrow is highly
ambitious as it centers on controlling or dominating the international business strategy
and aims to impose Japanese standards world-wide on the sharing of big data through
robots and their design in general. For this purpose, a robotics policy office was
established in 2015; this office studies international standardization and focuses on
global business.
The robotics reform appears to be a very well thought out and sound plan, there can be
no doubt that the Japanese are among the most qualified and capable people on earth to
bring about a robotic revolution, Abenomics, however is risky and it is too late to tell if
it will deliver on its promises, a catastrophe on the global market could mean disaster
for Japan once again.
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3. Choose one Japanese soft power product related to robotics and explain
why you like it and the impact it may have.
While researching a soft power product related with robotics, it occurred to me that
technology, especially in the field of robotics, must be far more effective in gaining soft
power than “cool” cultural exports, more so when we consider Japan’s bad reputation in
the Asia due to its imperialistic past. Unlike Anime and Manga, forefront technology
can make a country far more attractive and capable of seduction on a government level,
this is important as the business of international diplomacy and partnership is the
responsibility of the state which is not usually influenced by these products.
Michael J. Norris point out in a brilliant essay entitled Exploring Japanese Pop Culture
as a Soft Power Resource that “a state’s attractive properties cannot be classified as
power unless these features exert sufficient influence over other states.” (Norris, 2010)
I agree with this statement as it is coherent with professor Nye’s definition of soft
power, the essay offers Japan’s failure to obtain a permanent seat on the UN Security
Council as evidence of its deficient soft power. (Norris, 2010)
Peng Er Lam argues that it is the burden of history that stands in the way of Japan’s
cultural diplomacy, by this he refers to its failure to reconcile with its neighbors in the
Pacific, he believes that no amount of pop culture products will make up for that. (Lam,
2007.)
Robotics could improve Japan’s soft power potential, if it succeeds in making the
technological breakthroughs necessary to meet the challenges the world faces and leads
the way; it could almost certainly influence other states. (Norris, 2010)
Japan itself is clearly conscious of this fact; the third of the aforementioned three arrows
or pillars of the robotics revolution anticipates the dissemination of said revolution and
focuses on guaranteeing Japan’s presence at the forefront by setting international
standards. This would give states, as opposed to people, an incentive for entering into
deals with Japan and establishing stable partnerships in order to jointly develop projects.
Unfortunately, the product I have chosen will probably not contribute in any way to
Japanese soft power as it is not profit orientated, robots designed for military objectives,
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the services industries or economic gain will contribute more to international relations.
I have chosen Paro the robotic harp seal as I am very interesting in the field of changing
demography and how to manage the challenges that arise from it. A rapidly ageing
population is not only a Japanese problem, but a global one. Paro was designed to offer
therapy and company to patients in hospitals and extended care facilities where the
presence of real animals was not an option and has had real success with those who
suffer from dementia. I must admit that I initially fell in love with Paro for its sheer
cuteness and lifelikeness, its physical appearance is most certainly appealing to almost
anyone, this may sound superficial but it is part of its success.
Paro was developed by The Intelligent Systems Research Institute in Japan and can
boast of being the world’s most therapeutic robot, certified by the Guinness Book of
Records. (Crowe, n.d.) It gained such recognition as it has been found to reduce stress in
both patients and caregivers, stimulate interaction between them, improve social
relations in nursing homes and lead to increased relaxation and motivation of patients. I
will review the scientific literature at a later point.
The seal, a neurological therapeutic medical device for non-pharmacological

intervention, is currently the eighth generation of a product that was originally designed
by Takanori Shibata in 1993 and has been in use all over the world since 2003. (PARO,
Therapeutic Robot, official website.) It has a total of five sensors, tactile to sense
strokes from patients, light, to differentiate day from night, audio, to recognize voices,
names, greetings and praise, posture, to sense what behavior please the patient and
emulate it on other occasions, and finally, a temperature sensor. Paro can perceive
people and even actively seeks eye contact with its human companion. Through
interacting with the user it learns how to behave in a way that the user likes, if they
stroke or praise it, Paro tries to repeat the action that caused the favorable reaction. It
blinks its eyes, makes real sea harp sounds, and moves its body as well as responding
negatively and complaining if it is mistreated.
Takayanagi, Kirita and Shibata, in a study named, Comparison of verbal and emotional
responses of elderly people with mild/moderate dementia and those with severe
dementia in responses to seal robot, PARO, 2014, conducted field research in a
Japanese nursing home. Residents from this nursing home either interacted with Paro of
20
a stuffed lion, patients were observed and a behavioral analysis was conducted using
time sampling. Both groups interacted with, showed a more positive reaction to and
laughed more with Paro, in fact, the stuffed lion stirred many more negative response
from both groups. The results suggest that “introducing PARO may increase willingness
of the staff members to communicate and work with elderly people with dementia,
especially those with mild/moderate dementia who express their demand of
communication more than those with severe dementia.” (Takayanagi, Kirita, & Shibata,
2014).
The study found statistically significant data in favor of Paro on many items, including;
talking to the seal instead of the lion, positive changes in expression, laughing during
interaction, touching or stroking and talking to a staff member. Paro acts as an ice-
breaker, it provides comfort, reduces loneliness and increases wellbeing, and it even
proved popular among those who disliked animals.
Another such study that points to success with Paro is The Psychosocial Effects of a
Companion Robot: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Robinson, MacDonald, Broadbent
and Kerse, 2013. This study was a randomized trial conducted at a nursing home in
Auckland, New Zealand. The control group interacted with a real live dog and the
experiment group did so with Paro. The results show that the experiment group had
significant decreases in loneliness over the period of the trial. While both groups felt the
absence of the “pet” and this (their absence) negatively influenced the social
environment and interacted more when they were present, Paro was more often the
centre of attention and conversation in the experiment group than the dog in the control
group. The study concludes that Paro is a positive addition, reducing stress, loneliness
and offering many other benefits to elderly patients. (Robinson, MacDonald, Kerse, &
Broadbent, 2013)
There is a large body of research available on Paro and its positive effects, I think it is
essential that more therapeutic robots be developed and I am sure that these would have
positive effects on members of society such as developing social function in children
with autism, invoking a sense of wellbeing in subjects with depression or signs of
emotional difficulty and soothing anxiety.
21
All of the above reasons are why I love Paro.
4. Analyze the work of Professor Ishiguro at Osaka University. What do you

think are his best findings? What do you think of the research on the ability
of robots to identify people’s feelings, etc?
Professor Hiroshi Ishiguro received this PhD in systems engineering in 1993, at 53

years of age he is among the most highly accomplished roboticists and academics in the
world. He has published numerous articles in the most important scientific magazines,
is the director of the Intelligent Robotics Laboratory in Osaka and is probably most
famous for his completely lifelike humanoid robots. He has been working with robots
for many years and throughout his career he has become very interested in the physical
appearance of robots and how the way they look influences the way that humans
interact with them. He believes that in many situations, humans will interact more
naturally with robots and warm to them if they (the robots) are humanlike. It is not only
the behavior of a robot that influences human response but also its appearance.
His research proposes a new direction to tackle the problems that arise from the fact
some humanoids are perceived as being real by humans but are later found to be
disappointing when their capabilities do not live up to their expectations.
22
His goal is to find the ideal balance between robotic behavior and appearance in order to
establish natural human-robot communication in the future. He is convinced that facial
features and contingent interactivity are vital in achieving this, it seems a reasonable
assumption to make as human being are preprogrammed for facial recognition and
human-human interaction. Through his research on robots he wishes to discover more
about humans and in particular himself.
While the Japanese view robots through the Shinto tradition and believe that all objects,
both animate and inanimate, possess a soul, they also have a word for the feeling of
being in the presence of a human; Sonzai Kan, Ishiguro hopes to be able to capture and
transmit this sense of presence through his lifelike robots. In the paper, Understanding
the Mechanisms of Sonzai Kan, published by ATR, Intelligent Robots and
Communications Laboratory, it is stated that the Gemenoid was developed for studying
the science and technology of Sonzai Kan. (Ishiguro, panel-20060719- n.d.)
Ishiguro has created a near perfect likeness of himself, with silicone skin and his own
real hair, it has many actuators and receptors to make it look at observers, appear to be
breathing, blinking and make it twitch from time to time as humans do, giving it an
uncanny appearance to some.
As artificial intelligence still has not reached the level required to trick a human being
into believing that a robot is a real person for any significant length of time so as to
recreate the sensation of natural human-robot interaction, Ishiguro has opted for tele-
operating his gemenoid twin, HI-1,as a means of overcoming this obstacle. Therefore,
Ishiguro can literally be in two places at once, he sends his twin around the world to
give lectures in his place, (he is in great demand, as one would expect from somebody
who holds so many positions and was voted among the top 100 living geniuses, (Top
100 living geniuses, 2007). The lectures are automated but it is he himself who answers
questions on the topic via Internet. Funnily enough, he mentioned in a TEDx
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-rp75OO0sM) talk that some companies refuse to
pay him for this type of lecture as they do not perceive him to be working; he however,
views HI-1 as an extension of himself.
23
I think Ishiguro is right to try to make robots as lifelike as possible, with applications in
fields such as healthcare, education, etc. these design features are becoming increasingly
important. Certain robots designed to do particular tasks will need to look like humans
in order for them to be accepted into society. There are currently about 8.5 million
industrial and service robots in use worldwide, these range anywhere from surgical
robots to bomb disposal ones, passing through the robot animal and toys category.
(Guizzo, 2010) It is expected that in the future, robots will solve labor shortage
problems caused by changing demography so if they are to be truly integrated they must
first surpass “the uncanny valley”.
The uncanny valley is a term used in aesthetics and it puts forward the hypothesis that
when a robot appears almost human but still preserves robot features like movement,
etc. it makes the observer feel ill-at-ease and sense eeriness or revulsion. The robots
uncanny appearance causes a dip in the observer’s affinity to it.(Wikipedia, 2017)
Source; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncanny_valley
As mentioned beforehand, artificial intelligence is yet to match human intelligence,

therefore, when people are face to face with lifelike creations they may feel-ill-at-ease if
the robots capacities do meet the expectations triggered by their appearance. This is a
sub-conscious reaction, in the study, The thing that should not be: predictive coding and
the uncanny valley in perceiving human and humanoid robot actions, Saygin, Ishiguro
et al, 2012, the researchers mention that humans may have a preconceived idea of what
a robot should look like and this is evidenced by the success of many buskers that paint
24
themselves gold or silver and mimic robot movements in cities all around the world.
They measured this phenomenon and validated their hypothesis, with the help of
functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), by measuring human reaction the
human body performing natural human movements, a robot with robotic movements
and an android with a very biological appearance but robotic movement. The study
found that humans perceived this mismatch and were able to image when, but not
where, the uncanny valley opened up. The human prediction error (predicting human
movements but seeing mechanical ones) could help explain the uncanny valley theory
and develop better design theories. (Saygin, Ishiguro et al, 2012)
One of the most interesting things about Ishiguro’s work is his endeavor to overcome
the uncanny valley and apply his finding to design principles. The idea of a tele-
operated robot is a clever solution for now to the limits of AI and the problem of the
uncanny valley, more so for a man that is so busy and in such demand, it allows him to
fulfill all of his commitments, and the fact that he can answer questions after lectures or
conferences adds the feeling of presence to it, possibly even more than a video
conference. It gives the observer a sense of Sonzai Kan and allows Ishiguro and others
to study the science of social perception.
The ability to understand the underlying mechanisms of human social relations requires
an interdisciplinary approach and cannot be undertaken by one or two isolated
disciplines, cognitive, behavioral and neuroscientists will have to work together to
achieve this common goal. Ishiguro has said himself on many occasions that we can
learn more about our humanity through robots and he claims to have created his clone to
learn more about himself. (Ishiguro Explains Humanoid Robot Research in Denmark,
2016)
He foresees a future where robots and humans collaborate in daily non-industrial

situations so his objectives are set much higher than tele-operated robots, he plans to
teach them to read human emotions. This has lead him to place a robot in a school
setting and map the social interaction patterns of the students, helping teachers and
tutors to better understand the class’ dynamics and intervene when a student is isolated
or marginalized by their peers. In summary, robots are helping humans to understand
humans.
25
In order to identify human emotions and accordingly, robots would need a type of
architecture that could substitute the Theory of Mind, (ToM). This is the faculty that
allows humans to infer the mental states of others. Many researchers in the AI field are
studying this as “without emotions, empathetic behavior by robots will largely be the
result of rational responses built on top of a merely symbolic representation of the mind
of others.” (Wallach & Allen, 2010)
At the moment, robots do have some advantages over humans, while they lack the
human touch on one hand, on the other they can be useful in detecting autism in
children, Ishiguro is quoted as saying, “kids with autism cannot gaze on human eyes,
but they can gaze on an android’s eyes. So this is another form of cognitive science,
maybe even neuroscience” (Stafford, 2016).
All in all, I am very impressed by Professor Ishiguro’s work and I believe humanoids
will be the answer to many of society’s problems if we can solve the issue of the
inequalities that robots may create in the workforce and limit the surplus value that an
employer can make on a humanoid to below what he or she makes on a real person.
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30
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International Education: Politics

Third activity: The Robotics Revolution in Japan

like it and the impact it may have…………………………………………….17

Analysis of the work of professor Ishiguro at Osaka University……………20

Nowadays, Gakutensoku doesn’t respond to our modern perception of robots, although

Snapshot taken from YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mD3b3AEZMHE

Furthermore, visual information presentation is not only performed by projecting

(Source; Research gate)

Robotics that improve human mobility

Snapshot Source: http://rraj.rsj-web.org/en_history

Robots that can substitute humans in dangerous situations

Humanoid navigates uneven terrain source http://rraj.rsj-web.org/en_history

HOSPI-Rimo: Source http://rraj.rsj-web.org/en_history

Abenomics is the name given to the ambitious multi-pronged economic policy of

The Economist describes Abenomics as “a mix of reflation, government spending and

In December 2016, the Japanese government published a document in English titled

The three arrows of the robot revolution

Part of the government initiative to generate a flourishing economy involves massive

1. Fundamental enhancement of Japan’s robot-creation ability so as to make Japan

The seal, a neurological therapeutic medical device for non-pharmacological

4. Analyze the work of Professor Ishiguro at Osaka University. What do you

Professor Hiroshi Ishiguro received this PhD in systems engineering in 1993, at 53

As mentioned beforehand, artificial intelligence is yet to match human intelligence,

He foresees a future where robots and humans collaborate in daily non-industrial

4_IJR455720.dvi - 0278364912455720. (n.d.). Retrieved from

161111_abenomics.pdf. (n.d.). Retrieved from

2017, from http://lexicon.ft.com/Term?term=abenomics

Chronic Deflation in Japan - wp12e06.pdf. (n.d.). Retrieved from

Crowe, S. (n.d.). Japanese Innovation to be Highlighted at CES - Robotics Trends.

Retrieved February 16, 2017, from

EBR_v5n2_99.pdf. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://src-

Fukushima plant. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved from

Retrieved February 17, 2017, from

hand.dvi - namiki_iros03_hand.pdf. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.k2.t.u-

Hays, J. (n.d.). ROBOTS IN JAPAN: HISTORY, INDUSTRIAL USES AND

SECURITY | Facts and Details. Retrieved February 12, 2017, from

control-by-sex-pheromone-in-Bombyx-mori.pdf. (n.d.). Retrieved from

Japan’s First Robot. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.nippon.com/en/views/b00906/

Japan_soft_power.pdf. (n.d.). Retrieved from

kawamoto.pdf. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.lucs.lu.se/LUCS/146/kawamoto.pdf

List of countries by GDP growth 1980–2010. (2016, November 30). In Wikipedia.

National debt of Japan. (2017, January 8). In Wikipedia. Retrieved from

Norris, M. J. (2010). Exploring Japanese Popular Culture as a Soft Power Resource.

Inquiries Journal, 2(05). Retrieved from

The Japan Times Online. Retrieved from

panel-20060719-mod2(Eng-only) - panel-20060719-mod2-eOnly.pdf. (n.d.). Retrieved

PARO Therapeutic Robot. (n.d.). Retrieved February 16, 2017, from

Effects of a Companion Robot: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of the

American Medical Directors Association, 14(9), 661–667.

robot - definition of robot in English | Oxford Dictionaries. (n.d.). Retrieved February

11, 2017, from https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/robot

Retrieved from http://www.reuters.com/article/us-japan-abe-specialreport-

difference at work? The Guardian. Retrieved from

Minister of Japan | Center for Strategic and International Studies. (n.d.).

Retrieved February 13, 2017, from https://www.csis.org/events/statesmens-

Responses of Elderly People with Mild/Moderate Dementia and Those with

Severe Dementia in Responses to Seal Robot, PARO. Frontiers in Aging

Ubiquitous Display. (2015, June 4). Retrieved from

Uncanny valley. (2017, February 11). In Wikipedia. Retrieved from

Oxford University Press.

介護分野におけるロボット活用 - 0123_01c.pdf. (n.d.). Retrieved from

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