Industries
IoT in Japan: Essential yet Lacking?
By Priyanka Rana
IoT, the ‘Internet of Things’ is a growing and highly future-focused sector with close links to developments in various areas of technology, including; 5G, sensors, smart home devices, and AI to name a few. So what does IoT in Japan look like, and where do opportunities exist for further expansion?
IoT in Japan: Where Does it Stand Globally?
The value of the internet of things (IoT) applied device market in Japan is expected to expand by 21% in the coming 5 years. Currently the market value is ¥1.53 trillion JPY, a figure which is expected to increase to ¥1.85 trillion JPY by 2024.
Worldwide production of cloud and other IT solutions has increased annually by between 4-26% over the last 10 years, and the share of PDAs and other communication equipment shifted by an increase of between 6 -20%. In these two categories specifically, the market share of Japanese organisations in terms of global total are 7% and 6% respectively. It’s clear that Japanese companies are failing to establish a presence in key growth markets, serving the domestic market primarily.
The sensor segment, which is projected to develop along with the spread of IoT in Japan, is one sub-sector where Japanese organisations hold an advantageous market share at 54% of the overall market. Japanese organisations also claim 69% of the market for image sensors and other luminosity sensors, 67% for temperature sensors, 34% for inertial sensors (accelerator sensors, position sensors, and flow meters, etc.), and 30% for pressure sensors and barometric pressure sensors.
The worldwide sensor market, which totalled 53.2 billion units in 2014, is now expanding at a yearly average rate of 10% and is expected to reach 152.2 billion units by 2025 (2.9 times its previous size). In value terms, yearly growth will average 11%, and the market will grow 3.2 times to a figure of ¥9 trillion JPY within the same time period.
Iot in Japan also flourishes in terms of its expertise in areas such as; wearable technology, wireless modules, as well as other IoT-related tech like artificial intelligence software and robots that are essential for bringing Cyber Physical Systems (CPS) to fruition. If Japanese innovation is spurred outside of these sub-sectors, business opportunities will undoubtedly extend into peripheral areas. This will work to support the developmental capabilities of Japan’s electronics industry as a whole. One of the key issues, thinking ahead, will be the means by which other segments are nurtured, rather than relying heavily on sensors.
Overview of IoT in Japan
Japan IoT Companies are exceptionally evolved in an economy with such a booming telecoms industry. Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) created the u-Japan Policy right off the bat in 2004 to accelerate acknowledgement of the system in order to grow its popularity, both among business-to-business clients as well as for use in smart devices purchased by Japanese consumers.
IoT companies in Japan don’t just demonstrate the nation’s fixation on robotics and cutting-edge innovations, they also reflect a viable system in which Japan’s ageing society can adapt to through reducing human resource costs.
According to research by the International Telecoms Union, 99.5% of Japanese individuals aged 15 to 24 are so-called “digital natives”, or individuals who have consistently collaborated with the latest digital technology. Japan is a close second behind South Korea, where the figure is 99.6%. As digital transformation takes hold in Japan and around the globe, drawing the best talent into Japan’s digital sector is vital.
Organisations in Japan are advancing digital technology as a profession through workshops and events, creating more attractive work cultures, and improved internal training and development. For young Japanese people, the opportunity to work with continually advancing technology in Japan, utilise their business English skills and access employer-funded further educational programs is proving to have great appeal.
However, we can see that the high tech sector is moving so rapidly it’s unlikely the local talent pool will be able to stretch far enough in the near future, let alone the next decade especially given the ageing population in Japan. For quite some time, the nation has been a powerful force in the technology sector, yet it saw various highs and lows throughout the decade from 2000 to 2010, which was an especially sombre period. The sector is currently fighting its way back to supremacy in a number of areas in the face of stiff regional and international competition.
Japan’s tech focus is certainly wide ranging. IoT development in Japan includes; industrial IoT, artificial intelligence, augmented reality, virtual reality, robotics, mobile technologies, and even cyber security.
IoT in Japan: Global business development of steel plant control systems
For quite some time, the steel industry has been at the forefront of enterprise, and in accordance with business development, steel materials are always being improved in terms of their quality. Hitachi has continued to build the propelled control innovation fundamental for this purpose. Indeed, even today, with the incorporation of specific data innovations in IT, it’s possible to generate a predictive diagnostic solution that naturally identifies gear related to engine failure using AI reliant upon up-to-date information to support activity networks, maintain the support system, and as of late, for remote support. This drives a need for the constant creation of new solutions and the improvement of existing ones.
The steel plant control framework/drive framework is delivering high-performance resource and energy saving all over the world. They have continued adapting the framework for worldwide steelmakers and can cite many accomplishments. The current projection for overseas projects surpasses 60% of the total.
How Japan IoT Companies are Harnessing Technology To Support the Healthcare Sector
IoT in Japan and Diabetes Management
If you’re a diabetes patient in Japan, divine beings might be looking out for you. The country is battling with rising numbers of diabetics, yet a novel way to deal with overseeing Type 2 diabetes mixes a bit of psychology with IoT development in Japan, in the form of seven lucky deities originating in Japanese folklore. This is part of a more extensive pattern in which Japan deploys the latest in cutting-edge technology to help solve issues associated with its ageing population.
The lives of people with Type 1 diabetes could be significantly enhanced through algorithms connecting glucose monitors with insulin pumps to automatically regulate blood glucose to healthy levels, in the same fashion that cruise control in an automobile regulates speed. Researchers use this information to improve algorithms that control these critical devices.
Using continuous glucose monitors can give people a better idea of whether their blood sugar is trending high or low by providing blood sugar estimates every five minutes, without frequent finger sticks.The data analysis in this research enables engineers to improve models that predict the effect of insulin and meals on glucose levels, yielding better control of blood sugar levels.
As developed nations around the globe adapt to demographic changes, Japan is in a strong position to lead the way in terms of pioneering diabetes care. While Japan has a rapidly greying society, it also comes with an abundance of excellent well-being expertise, and novel ways to deal with utilising related information and innovations to improve the lives of citizens.
Somewhere in the range of 10 million Japanese adults have been diagnosed with diabetes, as per a 2016 survey conducted by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. The survey, which recruited 11,000 adult respondents from around 24,000 households yielded a result of 500,000 more compared with a similar survey in 2012. Some 6.9 million Japanese had the disease in 1997. According to a 2015 study of 160,000 Japanese adults, published in the Journal of Diabetes Investigation, researchers in Japan and abroad concluded that “a substantial increase in diabetes prevalence is expected in Japan during the next few decades, mainly as a result of the ageing of the adult population.”
The reason we mention this is because the costs associated with diabetes management in Japan are growing. Nearly 16,000 Japanese individuals are put on hemodialysis annually, and the total increment in the cost of hemodialysis due to diabetic kidney infections is 8 billion yen ($70 million USD). The silver lining, however, is that diabetes can be managed successfully with lifestyle changes. To get control over both the monetary burden of the disease, as well as its progression, Kojihiro Ueki and his associates at the Diabetes Research Center ran a randomised controlled preliminary study entitled, ‘Prevention of Worsening Diabetes Through Behavioral Changes by an IoT-based Self-Monitoring System in Japan (PRISM-J).’
Further uses for IoT in Japanese Healthcare
The remarkable capacity for doctors to track vital patient information between clinical visits is made conceivable through the use of IoT. Researchers plan to develop more sophisticated IoT data algorithms that would send patients messages about taking positive action, or what to do if they’re looking for additional assistance. In the interim, this innovation could likewise be utilised to monitor other types of illnesses, for example hypertension and hyperlipidemia.
Japan is developing many different types of IoT gadgets to assist society in better dealing with ageing. For example, smart tags embedded into shoes and socks can help track dementia patients who stray often, while launderable UHF labels in medical clinic bed sheets can alert administrators when it’s time for disposal.
Textile and Agricultural IoT in Japan
Tokyo-based smart texture organisation Mitsufuji, implements IoT sensors in apparel. Established by a Kyoto-based textile factory, Mitsufuji is currently concentrating on assembling silver-metalised conductive fibres under its AGposs label, as well as wearable IoT products under its hamon smartwear brand, first launched in 2016.
There are different developing concerns over agriculture sustainability, including a forecasted water shortage by 2030. To address this issue, a digital cultivation technology has been created in Japan. Experienced farmers can utilise water and compost more effectively, because of their broad experiences, information and expertise. By using IoT and AI to gather and examine information from their cultivation experience and the general condition of the soil, this innovation can empower even the most inexperienced cultivators to execute helpful strategies. It can improve the efficiency of agriculture even in regions with restricted access to water. This innovation is required to create immense change and reverse the fate of sustainable farming.
Related: Think Japan is a Tech Leader? Not Necessarily When it Comes to 5G
Keep checking back or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter to get notified about our latest posts. We’ll be adding more articles on IoT development in Japan, so watch this space if this is an industry you’re interested in!
Alternatively, feel free to get in touch and see how we can help you develop your IoT solution in the Japanese market.
