Can Vending Machines Save Japan?

Part II: Salvation Through Automation

Later this month, history may be made in Japan. Despite some last-minute horse-trading, Japan is likely to get its first ever female prime minister. A one-time motorbike rider and heavy metal drummer, Sanae Takaichi is a popular figure on the right of Japanese politics.

But should ‘Japan’s Iron Lady’ end up taking the top job, she’ll face a disgruntled and anxious left and an in-tray that no incoming leader would relish: voter anger at high taxes and weak wage-growth, inflation creeping upwards and fresh uncertainty over America’s commitment to Japan’s security.

Dig a little deeper, and you find the really bad news. Japan’s population is shrinking by more than 2,000 people every day. A third of Japanese will soon be over the age of 65, most of them not in work and many requiring expensive and labour-intensive care. Japan’s national debt, meanwhile, is a whopping 235% of GDP.

An obvious long-term option is to try a modern twist on an old idea. In feudal Japan, if an important lord had no…