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July 12, 2026
 

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FREIGHT

Japan's trucking industry is looking into introducing fuel surcharges amid uncertainties caused by the Iran war.
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Jun 1, 2026
Trucking industry eyes fuel surcharges as Iran conflict drives uncertainty
The move comes amid ongoing uncertainty over the long-term impact of the Iran war on crude oil supply.
Tokyo-based Nikkon has selected financial advisers for a privatization process and has also set up a special committee made up of outside directors to consider the matter, sources have said.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 21, 2026
Nikkon weighs going private; Bain Capital, Blackstone and others likely to bid
The logistics company has selected financial advisers for the privatization process and set up a committee of outside directors to consider the matter, sources have said.
East Japan Railway's freight-only Shinkansen bullet train arrives at a train yard in Tokyo on Monday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 24, 2026
JR East’s freight-only shinkansen train goes into service
The seven-car train, converted from an E3 series passenger train has a maximum loading capacity of 17.4 tons.
The Nonobori tunnel on the Shin-Meishin Expressway in Kameyama, Mie Prefecture, on Friday
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 21, 2026
Hiroshima transport company searched after six killed in tunnel accident
The Mie Prefectural Police department is investigating the company’s management system for ensuring the health and safety of its employees.
The government adopted a bill Friday to support logistics systems that let truck drivers limit work to day trips.
JAPAN
Mar 6, 2026
Government adopts bill to promote drivers’ work-style reform
Under the bill, the government will subsidize the costs of drawing up plans for multiple logistics firms to relay cargo.
Emirates and Qatar Airways planes sit on the tarmac at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport on Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Mar 5, 2026
Perishables and plane parts stranded as Middle East conflict hits air cargo
Shipments are in limbo as the conflict reduces the world’s air cargo capacity and pushes up freight rates, with executives bracing for backlogs of goods.
Trucks on a road near a shipping terminal in Yokohama. In 2024, the annual working hours of drivers of large trucks, who are mainly involved in long-distance cargo transportation, averaged 2,484 hours.
JAPAN
Feb 19, 2026
Distribution law in Japan to be revised to help long-distance truck drivers
The aim is to allow drivers to pass their cargo to other companies’ trucks at warehouses along transportation routes, making it easier for them to return home within the day.
A cargo ship leaves the Port of Savannah in Savannah, Georgia, in June 2025.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 4, 2026
Shipping firms foresee smaller profits in 2026 as Red Sea tensions ease
Though not guaranteed, a restart of Red Sea shipping is more likely now successful passages have been made for the first time since Houthis began attacking vessels in 2023.
Cyber-enabled heists rely on social engineering and a knowledge of how the industry works, allowing hackers successfully pass as insiders, according to Proofpoint.
WORLD
Nov 3, 2025
Hackers and crime rings are teaming up to steal cargo, cyber firm says
Such crimes can create massive disruptions to supply chains and cost companies billions, with criminals stealing everything from energy drinks to electronics.
The transport ministry plans to introduce autoflow roads, which will be built on medians of expressways or underneath them, in some expressway sections between Tokyo and Osaka in the mid-2030s.
JAPAN
Aug 1, 2025
Japan to test autoflow roads for self-driving freight vehicles
The ministry plans to introduce autoflow roads, which will be built on medians of expressways or underneath them, between Tokyo and Osaka in the mid-2030s.
Without the well-developed road infrastructure of many parts of Honshu, it has never been easy to be a truck driver in Hokkaido, Japan’s second-largest island but largest prefecture in terms of landmass-
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
Mar 3, 2025
Hokkaido trucking industry faces challenges from overtime cap
Without the well-developed road infrastructure of many parts of Honshu, it has never been easy to be a truck driver in Hokkaido.
A Japan Freight Railway train passes through a train station in Osaka in 2017. JR Freight on Thursday resumed operations for all of its freight trains after a temporary halt following the discovery of data tampering and other irregularities.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 12, 2024
JR Freight resumes train operations after discovery of data tampering
The freight operator had suspended operations on Wednesday to inspect container cars suspected to have been affected.
Japan Freight Raiway's Kudara freight terminal in the city of Osaka
BUSINESS
Sep 11, 2024
JR Freight suspends operations over data tampering
Data on the pressure applied when fitting wheels onto trains’ axles was falsified for inspection records.
Inspectors at the Kanto District Transport Bureau in Yokohama make calls to companies to check on the working conditions in the logistics industry earlier this month.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jul 25, 2024
Japan’s ‘truck G-Men’ issued guidance over 700 times in first year
The government inspectors check on working conditions in the logistics sector and monitor cases involving violations until the causes are resolved.
If implemented, the autonomous freight lanes would reduce congestion by up to 35,000 vehicles per day.
BUSINESS
Jul 9, 2024
Transport ministry eyes autonomous lanes to ease freight crisis
The lanes would allow the transportation of small parcels between cities using unmanned carts, and help ease a driver shortage in the logistics sector.
The Fair Trade Commission in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 12, 2024
Hashimoto Sogyo inspected over nonpayment of overtime
The antimonopoly law prohibits the abuse of a shipper’s dominant position over an operator.
Workers prepare boxes of oyster products for shipping at Suzuki Suisan in Saka, Hiroshima Prefecture. The company stopped offering free shipping services in March.
BUSINESS / Companies / Regional Voices: Hiroshima
Jun 3, 2024
Transportation firms grapple with new driver overtime cap
The overtime cap introduced in April has led to increased transportation costs and some logistical headaches as firms try to adjust.
A worker unloads packages from a shinkansen at JR Tokyo Station on Friday.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 19, 2024
JR firms expanding cargo transport using shinkansen trains
Such services are set to expand as Japan facing disruptions to logistics services stemming from an overtime cap for truck drivers.
Japan Post CEO Tetsuya Senda (right) and his Seino Transportation counterpart Satoshi Takahashi announce their companies' agreement on joint long-haul truck operations, in Tokyo on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 10, 2024
Japan’s logistics firms seek partnerships to cope with driver shortage
Japan Post and Seino Transportation have reached a basic agreement to work together on joint long-haul truck operations.
As their popularity grow, Shein and Temu together send almost 600,000 packages to the U.S. every day.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 22, 2024
Rise of fast-fashion Shein and Temu roils global air cargo industry
Their pursuit of limited air-cargo space to woo consumers with rapid transit times make off-peak seasons almost disappear and cause capacity shortages.
China’s demand for Soviet-style apartments shows limits to revival
Apartments built during a Soviet Union-inspired construction drive in the 1970s and 1980s tend to suffer from poor insulation and outdated plumbing, but they are seeing a revival in interest due to their attractive locations.
Japanese scientists identify neural mechanism that may explain why we dislike people
The aggressive mouse (left) used in the experiment and a mouse defending itself
Japanese payment processor’s collapse hits banks and restaurants
Zentoshin served around 200,000 shops, many of which rely on early payments to maintain cash flow, raising concerns over their financial stability following the disruption.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
Lenders seek $700 million after Japanese payments firm’s collapse
The financial failure of Osaka-based Zentoshin has left 63 creditors with claims totaling ¥115.16 billion, according to Tokyo Shoko Research.
Japan’s largest exhibition of women photographers rights a wrong in cultural history
Miwa Yanagi’s “Elevator Girl House” series skewers the superficiality of gender roles through staged images.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
‘Princess Mononoke’ comes alive in Super Kabuki staging
The “Princess Mononoke” adaptation was created under Shochiku’s Super Kabuki initiative, a modern form of kabuki with more technology in staging and open to pop culture collaborations.
The beating heart inside ‘Human Vapor’
Different forms of love and connection form the emotional backbone of Netflix’s “Human Vapor,” says actor Shun Oguri, who plays troubled detective Kenji Okamoto.
Japan bets on character IP to drive global growth
Born on social media platforms in 2022, Opanchu Usagi has become a major hit, especially among Generation Z.

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