Since the late 1980s, Japan’s GDP has stagnated. Most orthodox economists would worry about that situation because growth is often deemed necessary for a healthy economy. Yet, the main Japanese economic indicators remain stable. In addition, residents argue that the Japanese economy is in an age of sustainability and that unfettered growth is simply over. They make the point that growth per se does not safeguard what matters most in life.
Japan may in fact be the world’s first sustainable “Post-Growth Society”. In fact, the core societal values of Japan are in line with the goals of post-growth sustainability: avoidance of wasting; recycling of everything that could be recycled; frugal approach to consumption and to life in general.
This project documents tangible traces of the uniquely Japanese post-growth society. On the one hand, it evokes signs of the economic and demographic stagnation such as ageing population and (semi-)abandoned infrastructures. It showcases communities lacking a large younger generation and featuring mainly fit, yet elderly people, who must work past retirement age (60 years old in Japan) or struggle to find a successor who will take over their business.
On the other hand, it presents initiatives aiming at mitigating this situation, such as endeavors to run small communities in a sustainable way (including through inter-generational services), to upcycle materials recovered from derelict buildings, or to avoid wastage to the fullest possible extent.
This project directly questions the idea that economic growth is necessary and that low growth is dismal. It presents post-growth in a sustainability-oriented economic system, in a country known for high standards of living. It offers a redefinition of the term “prosperity” and shows a preview of the economic future of non-growing economies.