It's the beginning of 2020, but also the opening of a new decade. Many technologies that emerged in the 2010s will certainly develop at an accelerated pace in this new decade and change our lifestyles dramatically.
This year's Tokyo Olympics and Paralympic Games will likely be the first game changer. Next generation 5G wireless networks will finally debut in Japan, allowing superfast mobile communications and various services. Toyota Motor Corp. has already unveiled its e-Pallet concept autonomous EV, which will operate in the athletes' village. Various translation devices are already available to help foreign tourists, but wearables that can instantly translate languages may arrive soon. Hyper-fast connectivity, advanced automation and an augmented sensory digital world will become reality and they will surely transform our life for the better.
But demographic changes will likely to shift balance of power in the world. Japan, with its rapidly aging society, will need to think about how to survive in the swiftly changing world.