## (3) Road Sector

Seminars were held in India, Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia, Myanmar, and Laos to introduce Japanese road technology among other active initiatives.

Also, international expansion is being promoted with an all-star team consisting of the public and private sector along with “Japan Expressway International Co., Ltd.” with a wide perspective from the planning stage to construction as well as operation, maintenance, and management.

Also, at the World Road Association (PIARC), our country serves on the Executive Committee along with participation in 15 technical committees to promote technical exchanges and share information regarding roads and road traffic. At the PIARC Annual Conference of National Committees/Executive Committee held in October 2012, Japan’s initiatives in traffic safety were shared with various countries of the world.

Aside from these, in the field of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS), based on a memorandum of cooperation between Japan and the United States as well as one with the European Union, a cooperative framework is established on the three axis of Japan, United States, and the European Union and regular meetings are held for future research and development as well as promotion. Also, Japan participated in the ITS World Congress held in October of the same year in Vienna to strengthen coordination and cooperation with various countries as well as appeal Japan's initiatives for ITS to those in the field from around the world in preparation for the next congress (October 2013) to be held in Tokyo.

## (4) Housing and Architecture Sector

Bilateral meetings are held regularly with South Korea, China, France, Canada, and Germany to exchange information on housing policies and architectural standards.

## (5) Railway Sector

Regarding the high-speed rail plans of the United States, Brazil, Vietnam, India, and Thailand, initiatives are being promoted to push the adoption of our nation’s bullet train technology which boasts superior energy conservation, safety, stability, high frequency, and mass export. Also, for urban rail technical cooperation is being implemented to actively promote expansion abroad.

Additionally, from April 2012, to prepare for systematic international expansion, an all-star lineup of railway operators formed an international rail consulting firm (“Japan International Consultants for Transportation Co., Ltd.”) that began operations and is implementing project formulation support in target nations.

## (6) Maritime Sector

In May 2012 a workshop was held in light of the memorandum of cooperation between Japan and Norway in the maritime field and an agreement was reached to coordinate efforts to lead international discussions regarding the spread and promotion of energy conserving ships.

International cooperation was furthered in the maritime field toward Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar, and others for the promotion of coastal shipping and the shipbuilding sector.

Additionally, bilateral meetings are held regularly with major maritime nations and in FY 2012 meetings were held with the United Kingdom and South Korea to exchange information on important issues in the maritime sector.

## (7) Port Sector

For Myanmar and other nations, project formulation studies are implemented for port logistics projects that are combined with port hinterland development as part of efforts to actively support the penetration of Japanese companies into countries where port development is expected in the future.

In October 2012, the 13th Northeast Asia Port Director-General Meeting was held for the three countries of Japan, China, and South Korea to discuss common port policies.

Also through the World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure (PIANC), where a Japanese national serves as Senior Vice-President, and the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH), our nation’s technical standards are being expanded abroad and information exchanges are being promoted multilaterally.