The Global Economy and Business

In the first quarter of 2009 the volumes of trade of robots for the industry have failed on 59 % in Japan. The reason of curtailment of production of robots became their lack of need in the Japanese industry which experiences the heaviest recession in the post-war history.

At Yaskawa factory where robots are made by other robots, only one mechanized employee is still working while its “colleagues” are set aside. According to the president of Yaskawa Koji Toshima, because of absence of orders the profit of the company has failed on two third — up to 72 million dollars. It is necessary to note that this company is the largest manufacturer of robotics in Japan.
Japan is the leader in the manufacture and use of robotics in the world.

In 2005 370 thousand of robots worked in the country— 40 % from total sum all over the world. On each thousand factory employees-people there were 32 robots.

In conditions of crisis when the Japanese industry reduced on 40 % in the first quarter of 2009, robots became the first victims of unemployment as, unlike employees-people they do not protest against dismissals and don’t demand the severance pay.

The need for robots has fallen not only in the industry, but also in life. In particular, the robots which help disabled people in everyday life and electromechanical assistants of the Japanese housewives began to have smaller demand too.