2014 Volume 66 Issue 2 Pages 95-100
Japanese ITS advancements have greatly contributed to the solution of road traffic problems such as traffic accidents and congestion. The success of ITS is a product of governmental initiative and cooperative relationships between the industrial，governmental， and academic sectors. Their efforts have popularized in-vehicle units of Japanese mission critical systems over the last twenty years， with the result that the car navigation systems， Vehicle Information Communication System (VICS) and Electronic Toll Collection system (ETC) have been put to use in over 30 million and 50 million vehicles，respectively.As well， ITS has become of major importance in government road traffic policies.
We think that the future direction which Japanese ITS should aim at is not only enriching Japanese mission critical systems， but also realizing sustainable traffic society in local cities. For that purpose， we think it important to make a mechanism in which citizens can customize ITS according to their needs and the administration needs of local cities.
This paper proposes two kinds of ITS promotion measures for the advancement of future Japanese ITS. One is measures which use ITS more effectively in governmental ITS strategies and policies. Another is measures which promote the introduction and practical implementation of ITS smoothly in local cities.
