Google Japan aims to focus on developing and offering technology that supports the country’s aging society, its top executive said at a Nikkei event on Wednesday.

“It is our responsibility to enable elderly people to maintain good health and access necessary information or jobs through our technology,” President Shinji Okuyama said at Nikkei’s Global Management Forum.

Google’s Japanese unit hopes to turn the challenge of aging into opportunities. This includes providing digital skill training to seniors, as well as utilizing the tech giant’s artificial intelligence to support physical and mental health while keeping older generations connected to society.

“We will work together with the government, the private sector, and medical institutions,” Okuyama said. “The knowledge and experiences we can accumulate through such efforts will be very valuable assets … and will be a big advantage for Japan.”

Other countries, he added, should be able to learn from these endeavors.

Okuyama also stressed the importance of digital transformations, and said that Google Japan wants to help companies that wish to build new business models and innovate. According to research by Google, moves across the country to use digital technology to the fullest could unlock 67.7 trillion yen ($600 billion) in annual economic value for Japan by 2030.

“Through technology, we want to create a society where people can enjoy more knowledge, success, health and happiness,” he said. “All of our products and services will start from this perspective.”

The company began offering digital skill training sessions in 2019 and so far 7.5 million people have participated. Google Japan aims to bring that figure up to 10 million by 2022.

Read more @Nikkei Asia