GLOBAL, OCTOBER 15, 2012 – Over a year ago, an 8.9-magnitude earthquake hit Japan, leaving thousands dead and missing, and billions of dollars worth of damaged infrastructures. The global community shared the pain.
McCann Worldgroup has conducted research geared towards the "offukatsuo" (restoration) of Japan – looking into "how people are thinking and acting differently after the earthquake".
The truth is that over-60s account for nearly one-quarter of Japan’s population, and this finding will impact near all aspects of Japanese life in the not too distant future.
"It is no surprise then that Japanese companies are putting efforts into uncovering ‘senior business’ opportunities; not only given the fact that this generation will account for one-third of the population very soon, but also that this segment holds 60% of the wealth in Japan."
The study also shows household expenditure has been increasing for the last 7 months now. However, retail sales in August were sluggish again, impacted by the winding down of government subsidies on eco-cars.
Japan is staying digital. Twitter has unveiled a new tool – ‘Lifeline’, which will be launching first in Japan, intended to help users during moments of crisis, like natural disasters. With Lifeline, people can search for their postal code on Twitter, and find details from other tweeters.
Soon every device in a home can be linked up and controlled by a smartphone, giving convenience as well as added security.
