News
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) of Japan has selected 12 projects to be carried out as part of the transport demonstration for the diversification and enhancement of the nation's international logistics capabilities, which is being advanced within the fiscal 2022 supplementary budget. Four projects are to move shipments to Europe. Two projects will see commodities to be transported in Sea-and-rail ways, while in one, shipments will be hauled by sea to Europe, where they will be relayed to trucks. The other will be carried out by way of Southeast Asia. Meanwhile, the remaining eight projects are to transport cargo to North America. One will carry freight via the east coast of North America, two via the west coast of Mexico and one via the Gulf of Mexico. In two, shipments will be moved in sea-and-air systems, while the other two will be the transport of freight from other Asian economies that will be transshipped in Japan.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has had enormous impacts on logistics, while strikes are frequent at European ports. At a time when the coronavirus pandemic is still generating harmful effects, logistics is being paralyzed due to labor shortages. In North America, congestion persists at ports and in overland transport. In addition, it is totally predictable how labor and management negotiations at west coast ports will develop. As such, the MLIT will attempt new transport modes and routes that are expected to supplement conventional ones and verify how effective they are.
