In Japan, Prime Minister Fumio Kisida proposed the construction of specialized roads for unmanned vehicles engaged in logistics at the fifth conference on digital administrative and financial reform. The initiative aims to address the issue of overloaded regional roads and a shortage of drivers due to regulations limiting working hours. These measures seek to improve the quality of life and safety while coping with the labor deficit caused by the aging population in Japan.
Prime Minister Kisida emphasized the importance of developing a basic concept for automated logistics roads, including selecting possible routes by the beginning of summer. The proposed roads will be exclusively for unmanned trucks to avoid potential risks to human drivers.
In addition, Kisida called for the establishment of a separate policy for regulating drones and autonomous vehicles. He also stressed the significance of accelerating the digitalization of public services, such as standardizing state forms, digitalizing schools, utilizing data on education systems, and introducing electronic prescriptions.
Furthermore, there is a need to create standard systems that local authorities can use to enhance their own digitalization efforts. Despite these promising initiatives, public trust in digital projects has been undermined following last year’s confusion in the “My Number” identification system, which resulted in data leaks. As a gesture of apology, one minister even refused their salary for three months.