70% in Japan positive about AI use in medical, health care sectors

TOKYO - Over 70 percent of people in Japan are positive about the introduction of cutting-edge technology such as artificial intelligence and robots in the medical and health care sectors, a government study showed Tuesday.

The study, released in the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare's annual white paper, emphasized the "importance of improving efficiency and productivity by incorporating technology" by around 2040, when Japan's elderly population aged 65 and above is expected to peak, amid worsening shortages of doctors, nurses and care workers.