Notes:
assess: 評価する，査定する;
rescuer:救助[救出]者; 救済者;
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Recently, I went to Osaka to take part in a company interview which had us work in groups to assess our oral and leadership skills.The theme that was presented to us was this: there are 10 people in a spaceship and the spaceship has broken down. As a rescuer you have to help them, but you can only rescue only 5 people. Who will you rescue, and who will you leave behind? As extra information we were given lists of each person`s profile. All the passengers had various backgrounds: for example, one girl was a university student, and another person was a famous politician. We all had to come up with our own idea and present it to the group one by one. We discussed this for 30 minutes, and at the end we arrived at a conclusion by taking into consideration their age, not their background. It was the first I had such an interview and I enjoyed it very much.  (written by student Mr. Kajitani, edited by Prof. Simon Smith)
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Notes:
the falling birthrate and the aging population: 少子高齢化;
estimate: 見積もる、予測する;
tax burden: 税負担;
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Can you imagine Japan in 50 years’ time?
The Japanese population will continue to decrease because of the falling birthrate and an aging population. Currently, the Japanese population is about 130 million. But it is estimated that the Japanese population will be about 100 million in 30 years, falling to about 86 million in 50 years. Because 40 percent of the Japanese population will be elderly and the number of workers will decrease, the tax burden will become a serious problem. I will be 70 in 50 years’ time. I want to act now so that something can be done for the children of the future!　(written by student Miss Ikeda, edited by Prof. Simon Smith)
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