Reports in other languages

Japanese:
『日本最悪のシナリオ　9つの死角』

Korean:
일본 최악의 시나리오 9개의 사각지대
（Japan in Peril? : 9 crisis scenarios）

The 9 worst case scenarios

1. Senkaku incident: the unexpected denouement of defensive and offensive posturings over the islands

   In response to China’s increasing menace over the Senkaku islands, Japan must prepare for a battle entailing a collective effort; it will require not only military force, but also efforts in the spheres of diplomacy, politics, economics, and information transmission. Once the smoke has cleared, the outcome will dramatically alter the prevailing order and power dynamics of East Asia.

2. Japanese government bond market plunge: the “boiled frog” risk facing Japan

   Japanese government debt has soared to more than 200% of GDP. At just 10%, consumption tax is a mere drop in the bucket. Nevertheless, owing to the competitiveness of the manufacturing industry and the sheer enormity of the economy, a southern European-type collapse can be avoided. But what waits in the aftermath…?

3. Tokyo Metropolitan Megaquake: collapse of an Amazon-type society

   The probability of an earthquake directly hitting Tokyo within the next 30 years surpasses 70% in some areas of the city. Preventive measures are being taken based on the lessons of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake and the Great East Japan Earthquake. However, the idea is merely a “convenient scenario”. Preparations thus do not assume the worst, and the demonstrable effectiveness of the measures is therefore questionable.

4. Cyberterrorism: targeting urban infrastructure

   Apparently, some countries – including Israel, North Korea, and China – are amassing hackers to form a covert cyber-attack force. A new war targeting the modern lifeline, threatening to paralyze critical infrastructures, has thus begun.

5. Pandemic: the day the doctors disappeared

   In the midst of a raging unknown virus outbreak, the medical field will face the crisis of an impending collapse through lack of adequate medical staff and equipment. Solving the problem will hinge on whether difficult decisions can be made about who should die first.

6. Energy crisis: an invisible chain of crises beginning from a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz

   Forty years have passed since the oil crisis stemming from the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Although there has not been much cry for a review of Japan’s energy strategy, there is a growing dependence on the Middle East. The ongoing state of affairs is such that a disturbance in the Straits could lead to a nationwide standstill for Japan.

7. Collapse of North Korea: the three anti-nuclear principles, Japan’s moment of decision

   In the wake of the unification of North and South, the rising nationalism radiating out from the Korean Peninsula will spread through East Asia in a domino effect. The forbidden scenario of a nuclear-armed Japan will become a real possibility, and regional dynamics will immediately destabilize.

8. Nuclear terrorism: lessons from 3/11

   Nuclear bombs have directly hit Kasumigaseki and Nagatacho, the two main administrative centers of Japan, and key government officials including the Prime Minister are all dead. How are the remaining survivors meant to proceed at that moment? The focus should be on training in earnest for the worst conceivable scenario, but…

9. Weakened population: 2050, the day youths become terrorists

   Gradually but surely, the shrinking population will undermine Japan. Unless prompt action is taken, despair will sweep Japanese society in just a few short decades. However, to avert such a scenario, we must be prepared to relinquish the traditional Japanese views on society, family, and marriage.