Suicide rates rise - Can robots reverse this trend?

by jessica.lam | June 19, 2008 at 02:40 pm | 229 views | 3 comments

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Ranked as being part of the top 10 countries with the highest suicide rate, Japan has just recorded a spike in elderly suicides. Rising by almost 9%, it reflects a depressing reality of today.

The number of elderly people who killed themselves in Japan surged in 2007, government figures showed.

Suicides involving people over the age of 60 rose by almost 9% to 12,107, making up nearly 40% of all cases in Japan, the National Police Agency said.

Japan's elderly are increasingly concerned about money and rising health care costs.

Nationwide, the number of suicides rose by 2.9% to 33,093, the second-highest figure since records began in 1978.
Recent months have seen a rash of cases where people killed themselves by mixing chemicals to produce toxic gas.

Police said that the main causes of suicide were depression, illness and debt.

But the elderly have been particularly hard-hit by issues linked to Japan's ageing society.

Health insurance costs have risen and people are increasingly concerned that the state will not be able to support them properly.

A recent scandal involving millions of lost pension records has exacerbated concern over social security issues.

And as the traditional family structure has changed, some elderly people are worried that there will be no family members to care for them in their old age.

It can be argued that technology helps keep people in touch but cyberspace today still can't replicate real-life interaction.
Researchers and scientists will soon be addressing the issues of interpersonal relationships with the use of robots. It has been forcasted that by 2050, even your lover may be a robot.

How much of this issue can be fixed by just another technological advance?

A Japanese firm has produced a 15-inch tall robotic girlfriend that kisses on command, it is expected to go on sale in September for around $175, with a target market of lonely adult men.
Using her infrared sensors and battery power, the diminutive damsel named ‘EMA’ puckers up for nearby human heads, entering what designers call its ‘love mode.’
“Strong, tough and battle-ready are some of the words often associated with robots, but we wanted to break that stereotype and provide a robot that’s sweet and interactive,” said Minako Sakanoue, a spokeswoman for the maker, Sega Toys.”She’s very lovable and though she’s not a human, she can act like a real girlfriend.”
EMA, which stands for Eternal Maiden Actualization, can also hand out business cards, sing and dance, with Sega hoping to sell 10,000 in the first year.

Cosmetics manufacturer Kao Corporation and a Keio University research team led by robotics professor Takashi Maeno have developed artificial skin that feels just like yours. Or even softer.

The new artificial outer covering gives you that real human skin feeling by covering a 1-cm thick "dermis" of elastic silicone with a 0.2-mm thick "epidermis" of firm urethane. Countless tiny hexagonal indentations etched into the urethane epidermis provide it with a very realistic texture.

Science will keep moving forward but the root of the issue may still be left unresolved under the pile of new innovations.

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zichi

at 15:30 on June 19th, 2008

good stuff:

jay.el, I like this story. It's good stuff.

zichi

at 15:52 on June 19th, 2008

Another point overlooked is the break down of the traditional family unit when its members continued to live together even after marriage.

If you work for a large national company, say, like a bank, you can be transfered to another city and its a request you can not refuse. This usually happens in April of each year, and includes teachers being moved around.

Often the family does not want to move because they would have to sell their home, take the children out of school. The husband/father goes to live in another city returning home when he can afford it. I have met people who have done this for 20+ years only seeing their families two or three times a year.

At the moment, the highest number of accommodation types is for single people, so a large number of people are living alone.

Most Japanese companies require long hours and many are still working at 8pm which leads to 'over work stress'.

The pressure to perform at school is very great, because its not only important to go to university, but also one with the 'right name'.

Many old people who have money debts are choosing to steal something from a store knowing they will go to prison, but at least will be taken care of.

Japan is a non Christian country and suicide has been embedded for hundreds of years. There isn't the guilt thing which may prevent a Christian from taking their life.

There are no places a person can go to discuss their problems and people will often not reveal their true emotions.

There are many 'boiling kettles' which can make for too many sad stories.

julianw

at 16:06 on June 19th, 2008

I went to Japan during high school and was amazed by the extreme pressure that some Japanese students have to deal with. A fairly common belief among students in the small town where I stayed was that if you failed an entrance exam to a school or University, you'd spend the rest of your life working as a farmer.