Japan to introduce automated driving system for official govt vehicles
The Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry building in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo. - Photo: The Yomiuri Shimbun file
TOKYO: The government aims to introduce an automated driving system for vehicles used by national and local government officials for official duties, according to a draft strategy revealed Thursday (May 29) for the promotion of the digitisation of the automotive industry.
With autonomous vehicles becoming more common, it has been pointed out that Japan is falling behind.
The Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry as well as the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry are working to promote the introduction of the vehicles through more public-private cooperation amid intensifying international competition.
For that purpose, government procurement will be utilised.
As vehicles used for official government duties often use specific routes, it is believed that those vehicles can be easily replaced with autonomous ones.
In autumn, the government will begin conducting pilot tests, in which autonomous vehicles drive regular routes back and forth between the economy ministry building and the Diet Building.
Test runs for autonomous trucks are currently underway on a section of the Shin-Tomei Expressway.
Starting in or after fiscal 2026, the tests will be expanded to include general roads between logistic facilities and expressway exits and entrances.
If automated driving is realized on general roads, it will create an environment in which such services as automated deliveries and joint deliveries to improve load efficiency will become easier.
Efforts to share data across automakers will also be strengthened.
In addition, the government aims to strengthen the resilience of supply chains.
Learning from the Covid-19 pandemic, when a shortage of semiconductor chips led to factory operations being shut down, a system will be established to enable automakers to share information regarding the procurement status of the chips, among other things, starting this fiscal year.
The government will also study ways to enhance the convenience of services such as ride-sharing services, in which individuals use their private vehicles to transport others for a fee, by linking the My Number identification system to vehicle information. - The Yomiuri Shimbun
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Malay Mail
an hour ago
- Malay Mail
Sarawak's RM6.8b rural budget boost to bridge urban-rural gap, says Uggah
KUCHING, May 31 — The increase in rural development allocation for this year's Sarawak budget is a reflection of the state government's unwavering resolve to narrow the rural–urban gap and ensure equitable growth. Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas recently said RM6.8 billion had been allocated under the Sarawak 2025 Budget for rural development, which rose from RM5.695 billion in 2024, indicating the State Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg's clear commitment to uplift the wellbeing of the rural communities. In his message for the Gawai Dayak festival, which begins tomorrow, Uggah said the rural development focus has seen major bridge projects being implemented as growth catalysts. 'Five (bridges) have already been completed, including the Batang Saribas 1 Bridge in Pusa, Betong and others such as the iconic Bintulu Jepak, Muara Lassa, Marudi and Batang Rajang bridges. 'Six more, including the nation's longest river bridge — Batang Lupar 1 — are expected to be completed by year-end,' said Uggah, who is also the State Minister of Infrastructure and Port Development. He said that Gawai Dayak should be accepted as a festival to bridge inter-racial relationships in Sarawak, which has been a pertinent essence for the state to continue progressing. 'Just as bridges connect our cities and villages, this Gawai season should also serve as a 'bridge' to strengthen the bond of friendship, unity and harmony among us all. Let us celebrate our diversity under the spirit of 'Segulai Sejalai' or Together in Unity,' he added. — Bernama
Malay Mail
3 hours ago
- Malay Mail
U Mobile secures RM4b funding to accelerate 5G expansion, appoints CIMB as loan coordinator
KUALA LUMPUR, May 31 — U Mobile has appointed CIMB as the company's loan coordinator and mandated lead arranger to facilitate and arrange financing of up to RM4 billion to support the nationwide deployment of its cutting-edge 5G network infrastructure. In a joint statement, U Mobile said the financing would fund its capital expenditure (capex) to accelerate the rollout of its Next Gen 5G network, which aims to achieve 80 per cent coverage of populated areas (COPA) by July 2026. As part of the arrangement, CIMB intends to participate in the financing of at least RM1.5 billion, with the balance to be syndicated among other financial institutions. 'This milestone underscores U Mobile's continued momentum as the nation's newest 5G network provider, spurring digital connectivity and innovation, solidifying Malaysia's digital ambitions,' the statement said. — Bernama
Malay Mail
4 hours ago
- Malay Mail
Trump's hubris will deliver the hammer blow to the US and the world — Phar Kim Beng
MAY 31 — In a recent and poignant Time article, economist Richard S Grossman reminds us that when political leaders ignore economists and elevate personal pride over empirical analysis, economic catastrophe is not a possibility — it is a pattern. Grossman draws sharp historical comparisons: President Andrew Jackson's assault on America's nascent central bank and Winston Churchill's ill-fated return to the gold standard. Both decisions were rooted in ideological conviction and personal pride, not evidence or consensus. Now, in the second term of Donald J Trump, history threatens to repeat itself — only this time, on a global scale. Trump's self-referential style of governance risks destabilising not just the US economy but the very foundations of global economic interdependence. His actions echo Jackson and Churchill — but they are also amplified by a kind of hubris unique to this media-saturated age, where policy is shaped more by image than substance, by ego rather than expertise. Jackson's Bank War: Populism at the expense of stability In the early 1830s, President Andrew Jackson waged war against the Second Bank of the United States. Chartered in 1816, the Bank had functioned as a quasi-central institution, restraining inflation and regulating credit. Jackson, however, viewed it as a tool of elite corruption and vetoed its recharter in 1832, allowing it to collapse by 1836. His Specie Circular of 1836, which mandated payment for government land in gold or silver, drained the economy of liquidity and triggered the Panic of 1837. As chronicled by economic historian Peter Temin, this crisis caused GDP to contract by up to 30 per cent, and unemployment skyrocketed. It took nearly a decade for the economy to recover. Jackson's decision, made in defiance of economic logic, delivered a populist victory — and a national calamity. US President Donald Trump speaks with the media after a trip to Pennsylvania, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, US May 30, 2025. — Reuters pic Churchill's gold standard gambit: Pride in decline Fast forward to 1925. Winston Churchill, then Chancellor of the Exchequer, committed Britain to returning to the gold standard at its pre-World War I parity — despite explicit warnings from economists like John Maynard Keynes. The move drastically overvalued the pound, making British exports uncompetitive and forcing deflationary wage cuts across industry. The economic damage was severe. Between 1921 and 1929, while the United States and France saw GDP gains of 40–50 per cent, Britain lagged behind with under 20 per cent. The North of England sank into chronic unemployment. The General Strike of 1926 and other labour uprisings signalled deep unrest. Churchill, clinging to imperial nostalgia and fiscal orthodoxy, stayed the course until 1931 — when a full-blown crisis forced Britain off the gold standard. Trump's economic nationalism: Narcissism over institutions Trump's second term is shaping up to be a repetition of these self-inflicted traumas. But while Jackson and Churchill made costly decisions for their nations, Trump's impact is transnational. His economic worldview is transactional, driven by an obsession with trade deficits and a conviction that tariffs will restore American greatness. This belief contradicts decades of economic research. Trade deficits are not inherently harmful, nor do tariffs reduce them. They tend to raise prices for consumers and provoke retaliatory measures from trading partners. Yet Trump persists, seemingly convinced that personal instincts are superior to expert counsel. He routinely undermines institutions like the Federal Reserve, publicly attacks international economic bodies such as the WTO, and treats trade as a zero-sum game. His policies, lacking in consistency and long-term logic, have already begun to erode global trust in American reliability — both as a trade partner and as a steward of global finance. From trade policy to global shockwave The world's largest economy cannot afford this kind of unpredictability. In contrast to Jackson and Churchill — whose economic errors had localised effects — Trump's decisions ripple through complex global supply chains, rattle markets, and stoke geopolitical tensions. His tariff wars have hit not just China but also traditional allies like the European Union, Canada, and Japan. The result? A deeply fragmented global trade environment. Allies no longer assume continuity in American policy. Investment flows hesitate. Emerging markets, many of them reliant on exports, suffer. Trump's economic strategy — fuelled by bravado and nostalgia — is incompatible with the integrated global system the US itself helped create. The theatre of strength, the reality of retreat Richard S Grossman rightly points out that Trump's view of tariffs is rooted in a misunderstanding of history. He romanticises the 19th-century Gilded Age, a time of high tariffs, while overlooking its accompanying instability, monopolism, and deep inequality. Trump's policies risk bringing back that era — not as triumph, but as cautionary tale. What truly binds Jackson, Churchill, and Trump is not simply error, but ego — the conviction that personal willpower can override economic complexity. But in Trump's case, this ego is magnified by media spectacle and a disdain for dissent. His economic policy is crafted not through consultation or deliberation, but through impulse. The coming hammer blow The most dangerous consequence of Trump's economic hubris is not just stagflation or market volatility — it is the collapse of global trust. Trust is the glue of the international economic system. When nations can no longer rely on US commitments, the temptation grows to seek alternatives — whether in digital currencies, alternative trade blocs, or parallel security arrangements. This erosion of trust could mark the twilight of US economic leadership. While the dollar remains dominant and American markets deep, overreach can accelerate decline. The American century — once built on openness, innovation, and stable leadership — now risks ending in retreat, with tariffs not as tools of power but as symbols of decline. Trump's economic nationalism, then, is not just policy. It is performance. And like all performances, it ends. The question is whether the final curtain will fall on American economic primacy — or whether institutions, allies, and economists can intervene in time to prevent the hammer blow from becoming permanent. * Phar Kim Beng, PhD, is professor of Asean studies at the International Islamic University Malaysia. ** This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.
