The new book by journalist Timothy Hornyak explains the Japanese fascination with robots and their attitude toward them as personable beings or as family members.

The problem facing Japan right now:
One-third of the population is predicted to be over 60 years old by 2050 and the country has very little immigration.

One of the solutions imagined by Japans: robots !
The government is making a big effort to develop cool and friendly robots to help out with office duties, housework, and taking care of the elderly. The Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry has dedicated $17 million to create such intelligent robots! He hopes to see them on the market by 2015.

An attitude that the journalist links to the pacifistic mentality adopted by japan since the atomic bombing.
Anyway, it's totally crazy to compare solutions imagined by Europe or United-States and Japan to the problem of ageing population. It's almost unthinkable that governments elsewhere in the world, had that kind of idea. It seems uncredible, but let's wait and see...

Source: News.com, two weeks ago.