Society 5.0 is overhyped and overlooks multiple factors that exacerbate problems.

The excessively simplified theoretical framework of Society 5.0 conceals the complexity of real society, where it is difficult to balance individual and collective interests, making it impossible to meet the needs of everyone. Thus, its theory contains inherent contradictions. At the level of driving forces, Society 5.0 does not have any essential distinctions from the information society and fails to establish a new social form beyond the framework of the information society. From a motivational standpoint, Society 5.0 represents a pessimistic and weak cognition of humanity, and the promotion of its conceptual framework is a form of brainwashing for the public. At the element level, while Society 5.0 claims to be human-centric, it fails to genuinely prioritize the position of individuals. The operation of Society 5.0 exacerbates social inequality, hinders intellectual and moral development, and makes it difficult to achieve the goals of sustainable socio-economic development. Finally, through the observation of failed cases in social practice, it becomes evident that Society 5.0 fundamentally disregards the fundamental needs of individuals and instead becomes a surveillance-oriented society. 3 The root cause of criticism in China The criticism against Society 5.0 suggests that it is a false proposition. The introduction of Society 5.0 is the Japanese government’s effort to address challenges such as population aging, declining birth rates, labor shortages, and regional development disparities through technology and innovation. However, the application of information technology to societal development is a complex process, Fig. 4 The three critical arrays of Society 5.0. Source: author Wu et al. Frontiers of Urban and Rural Planning (2023) 1:12 Page 8 of 9 and Society 5.0 only provides a vague goal without specific paths and strategies to overcome challenges in technology, law, ethics, and society. As a result, the actual progress in implementation has been slow. Although emerging technologies like AI and big data analytics have brought many conveniences and opportunities to society, they have also introduced a series of risks and issues such as privacy breaches, unemployment risks, and social inequality. Society 5.0 overlooks these challenges and fails to provide sufficient solutions.