One of the government’s important measures for logistics is to improve efficiency through logistics standardization. Since logistics standardization covers a wide range of targets, such as information to be handled and specifications of logistics equipment, it is expected to be promoted through discussions among many experts and parties concerned.

This paper describes the physical size of cargo to be transported among the targets of logistics standardization. In particular, it discusses the “Physical Internet Roadmap,” which the government has indicated as a roadmap for the logistics system until 2040. The paper focuses on PI containers, which are likely to become one element of logistics standardization, offering a description of their physical size and specifications.

In recent years, truck drivers have been required to secure opportunities for reliable breaks and rest. This makes rest areas along expressways an important part of logistics infrastructure. However, expressway parking lots for heavy vehicles are congested during night hours. To relieve this, NEXCO has expanded parking lots by 10% over the past four years. In this report, I will categorize issues faced by NEXCO during their efforts so far and discuss plans that will be required in the future.

This paper explores the public issue lifecycle, corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategies, and their legitimacies in the social innovation process. We critically consider the Schumpeterian view of entrepreneurs and conclude that he did not hold the viewpoint taken in this study, namely, that social entrepreneurs actively change existing social relationships and social value systems through innovative corporate activities. Through these considerations, we suggest that the logistics industry tackle the issues of diversity, equity, and inclusivity (DEI) as a global phenomenon rather than focusing solely on climate change and safety issues. We then suggest that a transformational CSR strategy is required in the logistics industry, because logistics companies adopting this strategy make substantial changes to the external social environment in which they operate.

If carbon neutral technologies such as electricity and alternative fuels are implemented in society by 2050, carbon neutrality in the logistics field will be achieved in the use stage of transportation equipment, logistics facilities and cargo handling equipment. However, it goes without saying that there are many technical and social issues to be overcome before electric power and alternative fuels become carbon neutral. Furthermore, even if carbon neutrality is achieved, energy usage cannot be reduced to zero. In this sense, “Slow Logistics”, which aims to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions in logistics activities by transforming business practices using the management strategy of logistics, should continue to be applied beyond 2050 as one of the effective plans.

This paper discusses the significance of investing in the health of truck drivers, the heart of the workforce involved in the logistics industry. Truck drivers have many health problems, and there is a relationship between their health, the way they work, and their environment. Limiting their long working hours is mandatory by law, but it removes only one of the factors that harm truck drivers’ health. There are several frameworks for promoting workers’ health, but coordination among them if often insufficient. Structural obstacles that depend on the type of occupation and industry also prevent any attempt to promote the health of truck drivers. Measures must therefore be planned that consider the impact of truck drivers’ work on their health and their environment. Investing in truck driver health will lead, through improved health, to better labor productivity and more employable human resources for not only each company, but for the logistics industry as a whole.

Continuity is essential from the point of production to the point of delivery to the consumer when supplying cities with the commodities necessary for daily life. Historically, the following logistics continuum has been the most common: trunk-line transportation → distribution center → delivery → cargo handling facility. Urban logistics planning is necessary at each spatial level given this logistical chain, from urban area planning related to trunk line transportation and distribution centers to the planning of districts and buildings in urban areas. This paper outlines the historical evolution of planning ideas at the regional, city, and district planning levels, as well as their relationship to logistics policy. The need for a planning theory to support logistics in the future at the regional, city, and district levels will also be examined.

This paper argues that contract law on the carriage of goods contributes to the implementation of a specific logistics policy. The latest policy primarily focuses on labor creativity in logistics. To this end, regulatory measures have been introduced to force or motivate specific actors (e.g., carriers, operators, management agencies, consignors, and consignees) to improve the working environment for logistics employees. This paper examines the objectives that these measures are trying to achieve, as well as their implications for the contractual relationship between parties. The results suggest that the objective of a policy will penetrate the contractual relationship in a certain way, and the general provisions on contracts for the carriage of goods in the Commercial Code of Japan should be affected by changes in circumstances—which the policy addresses—within the logistics business.

In recent years, Japan’s declining population has created a need for urban infrastructure management. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has made the control of movement between prefectures a topic of discussion. On the other hand, the growth of the information society has brought attention to mobile spatial statistics. In this study, we use mobile spatial statistics to analyze the time series of cross-border, focusing on population based on destination communities. Several case studies are analyzed in detail for a deep understanding of cross-border. We then consider the future of wide-area cooperation and municipal mergers for creating communities with diversity and preventing natural disasters. We summarize the following three key points. First, we spotlight the characteristics of communities with a population flow of cross-border. Second, we develop a more effective policy, integrating cooperation across multiple regions with the spotlighted characteristics. Finally, we consider the impact on border crossings based on the day of the week and the corresponding COVID-19 case rate.

This research proposes a new evaluation method that prioritizes alternatives for citizen-participatory renewable energy projects, with a focus on the analytic hierarchy process through a questionnaire survey for conjoint analysis. The study’s evaluation method derives evaluation values and prioritizes alternatives within the profile based on the subject’s partial preferences. We applied the method to evaluate renewable energy projects as an example, confirming that it can calculate the quantitative values for all project alternatives, indirectly compare project profiles from an external perspective, and prioritize all project alternatives. This method is simple and easy to execute, and can be administered with spreadsheet software. It contributes to the administrative task of project proposal, easing the work load and providing the ability to derive more quantitative evaluation results from questionnaire surveys.

Currently, the suburbs are facing two key problems: an aging population and the out-migration of the younger generation. To solve these problems, we need to clarify the trends of the “second generation,” adult children of resident families, as they move from/within the suburbs. We conducted a questionnaire survey in Higashimatsuyama City. Saitama Pref. The purpose of this study was to consider the possibility of the second generation relocating within the suburbs in the future by understanding their trends and attitudes toward changing residences.

As a result, it was found that second-generation individuals who changed their residence due to marriage moved to a place closer to their parents (within the same suburb). In the future, suburbs will need to improve local attractions, create an environment that is conducive to marriage and child rearing, and make the younger generation feel part of the community.