Japanese logistics multimodal transport initiatives

Japanese logistics companies are implementing multimodal transportation initiatives to reduce CO2 emissions and address labor shortages.

In mid-September, a partnership between Hutech Norin, Hakata Unyu, JR Freight, and Nippon Express was established to promote a rail modal shift for cold chain logistics. Using new 31-foot refrigerated containers, the group aims to transport frozen foods between the Kanto and Kyushu regions. This initiative is expected to reduce CO2 emissions by approximately 120 tons and significantly decrease driver binding time.

By October, collaborative projects expanded to include autonomous technology and cargo matching. A demonstration project involving JA Tsugaru Hirosaki, Nippon Express, JR Freight, and T2 began using rail freight combined with Level 2 autonomous trucks to transport apples from Aomori to the Kansai region. Additionally, a six-company collaboration including Daikin Industries, Nipro, and JR Freight introduced “round matching” transport. This method utilizes 31-foot containers to combine diverse cargo types, such as air conditioning components and medical devices, to lower logistics costs and annual CO2 emissions by an estimated 141.9 tons.