ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the importance of social infrastructure such as social capital and networks are emphasised. The national government released the Japan’s new technology-led vision ‘Society 5.0’ in 2018. Society 5.0 is supposed to use more IoT and AI as an infrastructure to assist human activities wherever possible. It aims to manage both economic and social challenges in Japanese society. Disaster prevention and risk reduction is one of the core values that is further strengthened in Society 5.0. However, Japan is well behind other advanced countries in terms of digital transformation. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic is widening of the gap between the wealthy and the low socio-economic groups further. The author suggests that a sustainable future will depend on how communities can evolve without losing their residents’ sense of belongings, sense of place and relationships and networks with neighbours.
