How to Overcome 2040 When the "Dankai Junior" Generation Reaches Old Age? "2040 Problem Explained with Diagrams" to be Released July 24

◆Average age 55, 1 in 3 homes vacant. Stalled logistics... The reality of 2040 is here!

Shobunsha Holdings Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Kōjimachi, President and Representative Director: Shigeki Kuroda, TSE Code: 9475) and its subsidiary Shobunsha Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: same location, President and Representative Director: Tetsuya Kawamura, hereinafter Shobunsha) are pleased to announce the release of their latest book, "2040 Problem Explained with Diagrams," on July 24, 2026. This book is part of the highly popular "Explained Simply" series, which has sold over 1 million copies cumulatively.

<Cover Image><Sample Page>

)) "Aging" Today is Just the Beginning! The Reality of Super-Aging ((

The term "2040 Problem" is becoming increasingly common, but are we truly feeling its impact in the near future? The reality of 2040 is a super-mature society, unprecedented in human history, where the average age of the Japanese population will reach 55. This book visualizes this unprecedented situation and presents the complex "reality of 2040" with abundant diagrams, making it easy to understand. It covers infrastructure collapse, with 75% of road bridges exceeding their service life, logistics disruptions due to a shortage of delivery drivers, and even the crisis of local governments disappearing.

Its greatest feature is the ability to understand the issues sequentially, from familiar facts like "consideration of charging for ambulances" and "discontinuation of railway and bus services" to broader solutions such as "transition to a compact and smart society," "rescue scenarios by AI and robot industries," and "autonomous driving and drone technology."

The visual layout fully utilizes the spacious B5- 변형 (henkei - variant) format, allowing even those who dislike reading to intuitively grasp the content without stress. It serves as a "compass for the near future" for individuals to understand the background of daily news and prepare, rather than despairing about the future.

)) Page Layout ((

|| Special Feature: The 2040 Problem in Numbers

◆34.8%: Proportion of elderly population (65 and over) ◆744 municipalities: Number of municipalities potentially facing extinction ◆570,000: Shortage of care workers ◆75%: Proportion of road bridges exceeding their service life ◆14 million: Decrease in the working-age population

◆40%: Decrease in birth rate in 2040 compared to 50 years ago ◆Approx. 20 trillion yen: Projected increase in medical expenses

|| Chapter 1: What is the 2040 Problem?

◆The Advent of a Super-Aged Society: How to Navigate the 2040s ◆The "Dankai Junior" Generation Becoming Elderly Around 2040 ◆The "Society of High Individual Burden" Caused by the Collapse of the Population Pyramid ◆Late Marriage and Increasing Unmarried Rates, etc.

|| Chapter 2: Healthcare and Long-Term Care

◆Ambulances May Also Charge? Rapid Increase in Elderly Medical Costs ◆Regional Disparities in Doctor Shortages ◆Will the Definition of Hospitalization Change? ◆Approximately 570,000 Care Workers Needed ◆"Mutual Collapse" Risk in Elderly Couples Caring for Each Other ◆The Problem of Lonely Deaths at Home ◆The Burden of End-of-Life Care, etc.

|| Chapter 3: Transportation and Logistics

◆Mobility Options for the Elderly After Returning Driver's Licenses ◆Discontinuation of Railway/Bus Services and Headwinds for Local Infrastructure ◆Expansion of Transportation Deserts and the "Marginalization" of Local Cities ◆Elderly Drivers Supporting Transportation ◆Aging Roads, Tunnels, and Transportation Infrastructure ◆Worsening Shortage of Delivery Drivers ◆Rising Oil Prices Reliant on Imports, etc.

|| Chapter 4: Industry and Work Styles

◆The "70-Year-Old Active Society" We Face ◆Difficulties for Local Industries Facing Depopulation and Aging ◆Decreased Productivity Due to Labor Shortages

◆Societal Changes in the AI Era (Jobs Disappearing and Jobs Emerging) ◆Shortage of Successors for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises and Traditional Crafts ◆Brain Drain of Talented Individuals Overseas ◆Projected Decline to 6th Place in GDP Rankings ◆Crisis of Food Self-Sufficiency and Global Price Increases, etc.

|| Chapter 5: Child-Rearing and Social Security

◆"Double Care" Accelerated by Late Marriage ◆Young Carers Created by Dual-Income Households ◆Aging Schools, Consolidation, and Declining University Enrollment ◆Increase in Municipalities with Potential for Extinction ◆Risks of Crime and Collapse from Unmanaged Vacant Homes ◆Increase in Social Security Costs and Review of the Pension System, etc.

|| Chapter 6: How to Overcome 2040

◆Japan Aging Ahead of the World ◆Aiming for a "Compact" and "Smart" Society ◆How to Live in a World-Class Healthy Nation ◆Ride-Sharing and Physical Networks as Keys ◆Rapidly Growing AI and Robot Industries ◆Remote Medical Care Allowing Consultations at Home ◆Logistics Opened Up by Autonomous Driving and Drone Technology ◆Regional Revitalization Through Telework ◆Measures Against Declining Birthrate and Child-Rearing Support, etc.

)) Sample Pages ((

<Unbalanced Urn-Shaped Population Distribution><Medical Care Will Be Difficult to Maintain in Rural Areas><Elderly Drivers Support Transportation>

<GDP Ranking to Fall to 6th Place><Enrollment Shortfalls at Over 200 Universities><Can the AI and Robot Industries Solve Labor Shortage Issues?>

)) Supervisor Profile ((

|| Yoshinori Hiroi

Born in Okayama City in 1961. Graduated from the University of Tokyo, Faculty of Liberal Arts (majoring in History and Philosophy of Science), and completed the Master's program at the same university. After working for the Ministry of Health and Welfare, he became an Associate Professor at Chiba University in 1996. He became a Professor in 2003, and a Professor at Kyoto University in 2016, and will become Professor Emeritus in 2025. During this period (2001-02), he was a Visiting Researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

He is the author of numerous books, including "Japan's Social Security" (Economist Award winner), "A Stationary Society," and "Post-Capitalism" (all Iwanami Shinsho), "Rethinking Community" (Jiro Osaragi Award winner), "Rethinking Care," and "Rethinking Views on Life and Death" (all Chikuma Shinsho), and "Design for a Declining Population Society" (Toyo Keizai Inc.).

)) Product Overview ((

Product Name: "2040 Problem Explained with Diagrams"

Format/Pages: B5 variant, 128 pages (body)

Release Date: July 24, 2026

Available at major bookstores and online stores nationwide.

Price: 2,200 yen (2,000 yen + 10% tax)

Publisher: Shobunsha Co., Ltd.

↓Download the PDF of this press release here.

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