To add to this discussion, the pyramid scheme of constant population growth to pay for the elderly is not going to be sustainable forever in first world countries.<p>Maybe Japan is intelligently embracing these &#x27;growing pains&#x27; (by which I mean the pain resulting from a shrinking population, which the west will have to face at some point) now, by investing in robots and automation. I think they are getting a head start in a race against ageing that we will all (all of us with birthrates below 2.1, that is) have to compete in at some point.