Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) has just announced a 500km conveyor belt route between Tokyo and Osaka. The “Autoflow-Road” route is like a cargo conveyor belt for airports or mines.

This giant conveyor belt is built between highways, along roads and tunnels. Goods will be transported automatically by electric, driverless vehicles, aiming to solve the problem of labor shortage and cut emissions in Japan.

The Yomiuri newspaper estimates that the line could be operational within the next decade, with an estimated cost of up to 80 billion yen (512 million euros) for each 10km section.

Shuya Muramatsu, a senior official, said the automated logistics conveyor is designed to make the most of road space such as hard shoulders, median strips and underpasses.

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Illustration of freight routes in Japan.

The Autoflow-Road initiative comes at a time when Japan’s population is rapidly aging and the country is facing a shortage of delivery drivers, with new regulations limiting overtime to just 18 hours a week, according to MLIT.

Slow shipping has a big impact on the quality of goods, especially fresh products like strawberries and cabbage. More than 90% of goods in Japan are transported by road.

A recent study by the Nomura Research Institute found that by 2030, Japan will have a 35% shortage of truck drivers compared to the amount of goods it needs to transport. Rural areas will be hit hardest.

The International Transport Forum (ITF) estimates that trade-related freight transport accounts for more than 7% of total global CO2 emissions and about 30% of total transport-related emissions.

According to data from the International Energy Agency (IEA), the US, China and the EU are the top emitters in the road freight transport sector, while Japan accounts for only about 3%.

Long transport times and long distances make it difficult for the logistics industry to use electric vehicles (EVs). To reduce CO2 emissions, transport companies have used high-speed trains combined with small trucks.

(According to SCMP, Japantimes )