Japan is one of the countries most committed to its infrastructure, which is why it has one of the longest tunnels on the planet that serves to connect its different islands and allow the passage of people and goods. The problem is that Japan has a shortage of labor in the transportation sector. It seems that its population is not very interested in the goods so it is a sector that always needs personnel. Therefore, they have created a really crazy alternative: an underground tunnel of hundreds of kilometers that works completely automated. From the wooden satellites to these measures, it is clear that Japan is strongly committed to its country’s infrastructure and communications.
The underground convoy that wants to end Japan’s logistical problems
In response to the growing challenges in the logistics sector, Japan is considering a truly surprising and ambitious solution. A panel of experts from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has proposed the development of an automated freight transport system that would operate in underground tunnels along existing motorways. As is imaginable, it is a colossal work in which technology and infrastructure work is enormous. Thus, according to the Japan News newspaper, the Japanese executive would be preparing to carry out this work that would also help boost its economy.
This project, which is clearly incredible, has as its main objective to address the shortage of labor in the delivery sector, a problem that has been exacerbated by the rise of e-commerce. Yes, in Japan no one wants to work as a truck driver or in delivery, so it is currently a sector that needs constant labor to function and they are not getting it. What is the solution? Automate everything. Over the past three decades, the volume of small parcels has doubled, and forecasts indicate that by 2030, nearly a third of shipments could go undelivered due to a lack of staff, so this could be the obvious solution to this problem.
The proposed system would use pallets capable of carrying up to one ton of cargo, including agricultural products, marine products and everyday items. According to estimates by the group of assembled technicians, this automated logistics network could handle the equivalent of the cargo carried by 25,000 truck drivers daily.
The project is not without logistical problems, like any cyclopean work, the main one being the financial aspect. The cost of building underground tunnels could be gigantic, ranging from 7 billion yen to 80 billion yen per 10 kilometers. For a route connecting Tokyo and Osaka, the total budget could reach 3.7 trillion yen, yes, you read that right, with b. This translates into 21,245,400,000 euros, a figure that makes anyone, even the richest states, pale. Therefore, in order to make the investment attractive, the Government of Japan also wants to attract the private sector by allowing the collaboration of different companies to allow such an interesting and difficult project to be carried out.
Minister Tetsuo Saito has expressed his support for the project, highlighting its potential benefits not only in solving the logistics crisis, but also in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, as Japan is also immersed in a major plan to fight climate change. In fact, there is even a date for a possible completion of the project, in just ten years it would be ready, with 2034 being the year chosen for its end, although it has not been specified how much longer it could be. It would start with the Tokyo-Osaka route. Although the challenges are considerable, the plan clearly shows how committed Japan is to infrastructure innovation and its search for sustainable solutions to the logistics problems of the future.
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