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| ■'Amusement is the best navigator of the network society,' |
| Said Yoshihito Kakihara, Chairman, Japan Amusement Machinery Manufacturers Association
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| A happy new year! The Japanese economy in last year was in such a condition that the long stagnation caused from collapse of the bubble has began to recover gradually and the business impression improved slowly. However, the year was not necessarily a bright one for the amusement machine industry. There were such issues as financing grudge in money lenders still remaining unimproved, decrease in number of children, increase in number of aged persons, and consumption tax burden. In addition, what stood against our industry was the rapid advance in home game machines now standing almost borderless with business use machines, and increased outlay in younger generations on buying mobile telephones as a result of the rapid proliferation thereof. This year 2000 is a year to build a bridge between now and the twenty-first century. The keyword for this transition period will be the network. The wave therefrom will infiltrate quickly into the society, change people's life styles more greatly than imagined, and will produce more diverse values. It will create new businesses, which will demand radical review on industrial structures. Our amusement industry is no exception. We are facing now a great transition. This transition period is a big chance for our amusement machine industry. It is so because during the introduction period of a network society, a navigator is required: a navigator that removes language barriers, provides people with interest toward the systems, has the people touch them and learn them. Our amusement industry has a "word common to the world", which is the "amusement". This is what will work as the best navigator to raise the curtain for the network society and as a motive force to infiltrate the word into the society. It is my belief that our industry must lead the world market as one of the few transmitters of global standards originated from Japan and as the navigator for the network society. |
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