Society 5.0's implementation was discussed at Monday's forum, organised by the Japanese Embassy in Ljubljana and the Slovenia-Japan Business Council as a follow-up to a similar event Ljubljana hosted in February.

Education, Science and Sport Minister Jernej Pikalo said the idea of Slovenia's active participation in creating Society 5.0 had become reality and was in line with the country's national interest.

Pikalo and the president of the Slovenia-Japan Business Council, Aleksander Mervar, shared a view that developing Society 5.0 means developing a better future for all.

Society 5.0 is a concept of using modern technologies for social development to the benefit of all segments of society.

Japanese Ambassador to Slovenia Masaharu Yoshida said Japan's successful cooperation with Slovenia proved that in a society of the future they would like to create, know-how and innovation counted more than the size of a country.

He believes Slovenia can serve as a role model to the countries which want to pursue a just and sustainable development.

Koichi Akaishi from the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry noted that the advantages of Society 5.0 could be felt in all areas.

He said the research into the current stage of Society 5.0 showed the concept brought major improvements, for instance in protection against natural disasters and in mobility, two of the key aspects of future development.

But to facilitate the next-generation society, Slovenia should change legislation to speed up administrative procedures, said Japanese professor Yoshiaki Ichikawa.

Jernej Salecl from Slovenia's Ministry of Economic Development and Technology agreed companies found administrative procedures too slow, but noted that Slovenia had already achieved major progress in this respect.

The role of educational institutions in pursuing a fairer, technology-assisted society was another focus of the debate, which heard there could be no Society 5.0 without a knowledge-based society which encourages life-long learning.

Chancellor of the University of Ljubljana Igor Papič moreover stressed that Society 5.0 did not require just technological know-how. "There will be no progress if we don't link natural sciences and technology with social sciences," he said.