News
Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) on Jan. 30, 2013 reported on the Japan-Laos logistics policy dialogues and workshop that it held in Vientiane on Jan. 23.
The dialogs allowed approximately 20 participants from Japan and Laos to exchange views on logistics policies, situations, challenges and other relevant issues.
The workshop was attended by some 40 more local citizens, who were from the Lao International Freight Forwarders Association (LIFFA), logistics service providers, academic institutes and other organizations.
To promote the use of palettes, the MLIT gave a demonstration of operating a forklift to handle pallets.
Japan gave briefings on logistics policies, the role of pallets and challenges facing logistics in Laos.
Japan also asked a question about the development of bilateral transport agreements, hoping that logistics activities with trucks will be promoted on the East-West Corridor.
In return, Laos explained logistics policies (the development of the Greater Mekong Subregion Cross-Border Transport Facilitation Agreement (GMS CBTA) and other bilateral transport agreements) and indicated that it will work to ease regulations and simplify its customs-clearance formalities.
The Japanese delegation was represented by Yoji Kawakami, Director for International Logistics Policy Planning and Coordination, Logistics Policy Division, Policy Bureau, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism while the Laos side was led by Viengsavath Siphandone, Director General, Department of Transport, Ministry of. Public Works and Transport. Masaharu Nozawa, Executive Director & Secretary-General of JIFFA (Japan International Freight Forwarders Association Inc.) also participated in the workshop.
