In Japan, the population is falling, causing a reduced workforce that can’t keep up with pension and healthcare payments.  In most other countries, you’d think a healthy dose of immigration and the social payments that go with it would keep things rolling.  But not Japan.  They’d rather invest billions in robots to do everything from hand out tissues to sell mobile phones to hock vinegar, or just do plain old stupid tricks.

It’s something worth keeping an eye on, although for the price some of these things are going for, you’d think just hiring one of the many ‘freeters‘ that are always calling me up to go drinking on a Tuesday night when I have to write a Futurismic post (sorry, Taka!).