Society 5.0 A People-centric Super-smart Society

This open access book introduces readers to the vision on future cities and urban lives in connection with “Society 5.0”, which was proposed in the 5^th Basic Science and Technology Plan by Japan’s national government for a technology-based, human-centered society, emerging from the fourth industrial revolution. The respective chapters summarize the findings and suggestions of joint research projects conducted by H-UTokyo Lab.

Through the research collaboration and discussion, this book explores the future urban lives under the concept of “Society 5.0”, characterized by the key phrases of data-driven society, knowledge-intensive society, and non-monetary society, and suggests the directionality to which the concept should aim as Japan’s technology-led national vision.

Hitachi-UTokyo Laboratory (H-UTokyo Lab) was founded in 2016 by The University of Tokyo and Hitachi. Rather than following the conventional style of industry-academia partnerships, which focuses on solving specific problems, H-UTokyo Lab has pioneered the industry-academia collaboration model, which pools the strengths of a business and university. Under this model, the Lab creates and communicates a vision for achieving “Society 5.0” and pursues a novel form of research and development intended to address social challenges and make the vision a reality.