Silviase/jgov_v1.4_full_ann huggingface dataset:
the cars, propulsion coils and more.

### b. Gauge changeable trains (Freegauge trains)

Technological construction of gauge changeable trains capable of through operation from Shinkansen railways to convention railways and vice versa is underway for completion scheduled for service on Kyushu Shinkansen and Hokuriku Shinkansen. In FY2013, testing facilities, including a Shin-Yatsushiro connecting line, were developed. Three-mode traveling durability testing is scheduled for FY2014, which will subject newly built test vehicles to iterative cycles of traveling on Shinkansen railways, gauge conversion equipment and traveling on conventional railways to verify their durability.

## 3 Constructing Aviation Networks

## (1) Expanding aviation networks

### a. Enhancing metropolitan airports functionalities

To beef up Japan’s competitiveness in the global arenas of business and tourism, enhancements to the functions of the metropolitan airports, a prime impetus to propel Japane’s growth, are contemplated. Raising the number of arrival and departure slots at Tokyo International Airpoirt and Narita International Airport to 750,000 during FY2014 is being pursued as a top-priority task.

Tokyo International Airport (Haneda) had the number of annual arrival and departure slots expanded to 447,000 at the end of FY2013 by making additions to its international passenger terminal and building aprons and the like, making for around-the-clock availability of high-demand business routes, including long-haul Asian and European and U.S. roues. Efforts will also be carried on to stretch Runway C to boost the transport capacity for long-haul international flights and augment the international and domestic transfer capability by constructing a new international-domestic line connection tunnel.

Narita International Airport, on the other hand, is slated to raise the number of annual arrival and departure slots to 300,000 during FY2014 as a main international airport responsive to buoyant metropolitan demand for international aviation. Keeping in pace with the launch of the Open Skies Initiative in March 2013, the flexible application of restrictions on takeoff and landing (curfew) has been initiated to allow airlines to take off and land until 24 when they cannot reasonably hold down their

Source) MLIT

## Trends in Number of Passengers and Number of Arrival and Departure Slots at Tokyo International Airport (Haneda)

takeoff and landing within the current operating period of 6 to 23. Efforts continue further to get Narita consolidated as an Aisan hub airport by reinforcing the network of international flights, expanding domestic feeder flights, enhancing responses to needs as for LCCs and business jets.

Search for more clues to augmenting the functionalities of the metropolitan airports further, after their attainment of
750,000 arrivals and departures a year, continues to target the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games and the days beyond. As an example, the Subcommittee for Review of Metropolitan Airport Facility Enhancement Technologies organized under the Basic Policy Workshop, Arivation Workgroup, Transport Policy Council is slated to start compiling technical alternatives in November 2013 before a new forum is formed for exploring and reviewing specific approaches to enhancing the facilities of the metropolitan airports with the participation of the local governments concerned, airliners and so on.

### b. Driving the Open Sky Initiative strategically

The Ministry has strategically pursued the Open Sky Initiative Note $ ^{1} $ , including metropolitan airports, to respond to changes in the competitive climate resulting from global trends towards aircraft deregulation while accommodating vigorous economic leaps in Asian and other overseas nations. During fiscal 2013, agreements were newly reached with Switzerland, the Philippines, Myanmar and Austria, envisioning the realization of

Open Sky with a total of 27 nations and regions $ ^{Note 2} $ by March 2014.

### c. Realizing concessions related to Kansai International Airport and Osaka International Airport

On July, 2012, Kansai International Airport and Osaka International Airport merged into a New Kansai International Airport Co., Ltd. with a view to rejuvenating and reinforcing Kansai International Airport as an international core airport and expanding the demand for air transportation in the Kansai district through appropriate and effective utilization of the two airports. The New Kansai International Airport Co., Ltd. is now operating in an integrated manner.

The newborn company has moved ahead with positive measures, such as expanding its passenger networks, turning into a cargo hub airport and acquiring all shares of Osaka International Airport Terminal Co., Ltd. on December 27, 2013 to place terminal buildings under consolidated management, in its bid to augment the corporate value of these two airports and set rights of administration for public facilities, etc. (concession-based PFI project) at the earliest possible opportunity.
An improvement to Keikyu Kamata Station completed in October 2012 boosted the capacity of the Keikyu Airport Line, reinforcing railway access to Tokyo International Airport, coupled with the addition of extra through trains from Shinagawa and Yokohama.

Plans are presently being pursued to construct the Downtown Through Line to directly connect the center of Tokyo to the metropolitan airports to allow transfer-free swift travel, which will make Tokyo International Airport (Haneda) and Narita International Airport more

readily accessible to downtown Tokyo and consolidate the location competitiveness of the center of Tokyo, thereby facilitating the attraction of global businesses into Tokyo and revitalizing Japan’s economy.

In addition, ways to improve access to Kansai International Airport have been surveyed and explored.

## Section 2 Implementing Comprehensive and Integrated Logistics Policies

In June 2013, the Framework for General Measures for Logistics (2013-2017) was approved at a Cabinet meeting to offer a quick, precise solution to the prevailing conditions of logistics, such as deepening global supply chains, growing urges to combat global warming and assuring safety and security. Pursuant to this framework, the implementation of logistics Measures has been driven in a comprehensive, integrated manner in a public-private partnership. In addition, the Logistics Concilor and the International Logistics Division were inaugurated in July 2013 to build efficient logistics systems both at home and abroad that help boost the international competitiveness of Japan’s industries and also to fortify an inter-ministry framework for driving implementation of the logistics measures.

## I mplementing Logistic Policies to Correspond with Deepening Global Supply Chains

To keep up with deepening global supply chains, efforts directed at reinforcing Japan’s international logistic facilities are under way, including driving overseas deployment of the nation’s logistic systems.

## (1) Promoting overseas deployment of Japan’s logistics systems

As supply chains continue to get globalized at a deeper level than ever, grabbing the evolving Asian markets would be essential to sustaining and enhancing the international competitiveness of Japan’s industries. The formation of a sophisticated international logistics system should be of prerequisite importance to meet this urge. Capturing the Asian markets has become an urgent task for Japanese logistics companies that support the business expansion of the nation’s industries in Asia.
### b. Chartered bus business

Since deregulations in February 2000, the chartered bus business has sponsored low-cost, diversified bus tours in its effort to deliver better user services, but competition is stiffening with increase in the population of operators in play. Further, as group tours continue to get downsized and travel goods are lower-priced, transportation revenues have been declining. In addition, upsurges in the fuel charges continue to toughen the business climate surrounding the chartered bus business.

On the basis of the discussions at the Review Panel on the Future of the Bus Service that met in the wake of the April 2012 Kanetsu Expressway rapid tour bus

Figure II-6-3-2 Changes in the Number of Chartered Bus Operators, Number of Passengers Carried, Number of Vehicles and Operating Revenues

accident, the Rapid and Chartered Bus Safety and Confidence Recovery Plan was worked out to carry on two-year efforts intended to add to the safety of rapid and chartered buses in FY2013 and FY2014.

### c. Taxi business

The taxi business is faced with a deteriorating revenue base, worsening driver working conditions and along with other problems in some areas due to increases in the fleet of taxi vehicles while the demand follows a long-term path of reduction, making it difficult for the taxi business to fully demonstrate its utilities of regional public transportation. The Act on Special Measures Concerning the Normalization and Reactivation of the General Passenger Transport Business in Special Regions was enroced in October 2009. A little more than four years on, the legislation offered certain effects, such as drivers' wages turning for the better, but the problems of oversupplies of taxes in many regions remain yet to be resolved.

On November 2, 2013, the Act for Making Partial Amendments to the Act on Special Measures Concerning the Normalization and Reactivation of the General Passenger Transport Business in Special Regions was approved in the 185th extraordinary Diet session as a lawmaker-initiated legislation focusing on a scheme of elevating the levels of taxi service quality by effectively resolving the problems of oversupplies of taxes in certain regions, toughening driver qualifications and so on.
The Act came into effect at the end of January 2014. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport contemplates to come up with an early solution to the problems of oversupplies of taxes and to enhance the quality of service and safety by applying the Act properly in accordance with the purport of the lawmaker-initiated legislation pusaunt to various standards that have been established on the basis of additional resolutions passed at both Houses, as well as the provisions of the Act.

## (2) Replacement driver service

The replacement driver service is expected as a workaround means of transport for drinkers. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism is driving the implementation of measures aimed at normalizing the replacement driver service and add to users convenience and ease of mind. As of the end of December 2012, a total of 8,848 replacement service driver service operators are accredited and in service.

## (3) Motor truck transport business

The number of motor truck carriers had been on the rise for long, but the number of newcomers and that of retirees have equaled since 2008, with the number of carriers moving crabwise at about 63,000.

While the management climate in which the carriers are placed continues increasingly hostile under the influence of the light oil price and others, various countermeasures are in progress, including encouraging the introduction of fuel surcharges to pass on light oil price hikes to the freight charges and saving energy requirements in motor truck transportation to back up the carriers in their effort to improve fuel efficiency.

On the basis of discussions made at the Workgroup on Measures Relating to the Trucking Industry, various measures have just been taken, including reviews of the entry authorization criteria, updates to the Motor Truck Transport business Transportation Safety Regulations, formulation of documentation promotion guidelines, toughened enforcement of the freight owner recommendation program and tightened partnership with normalized business implementation bodies, to ensure market integrity and legitimate fare and fee collection while driving measures to keep transportation safe.

## 3 Trends of Maritime Industries and Measures

## (1) Achieving stable marine transportation

### a. Achieving Japanese-flagged vessels and Japanese seafarers

As Japan is a nation with no sufficient natural resources, being surrounded by seas on all its sides, international shipping plays an extremely significant role in an industrial infrastructure or lifeline of vital importance to Japanese economy and national life. It accounts for 99.7% of the nation's trade volume. The Government of Japan has regal jurisdiction over and is responsible for securing Japanese-flagged vessels and seafarers in support of international shipping. Keeping up with a certain number of Japanese-flagged vessels and seafarers at ordinary times is required from a viewpoint of economic security, but both Japanese-flagged vessels and seafarers are on a considerable decline due to losing of its competitiveness.
In 2008, a tonnage tax system $ ^{Note} $ was introduced to increase the number of Japanese-flagged vessels and Japanese seafarers, the core of Japanese merchant fleet, on a planned basis. Ten firms whose Japanese-flagged vessels and Japanese seafarers Securing Plan had been approved by the MLIT in accordance with the Maritime Transport Low have been applied to this tonnage tax and are now working to increase Japanese-flagged vessels and Japanese seafarers on a planned basis.

As a result of these efforts, Japanese-flagged vessels and Japanese seafarers have been increased steadily, but since Foreign-flagged vessels have opted to avoid calling at Japanese ports in the wake of the Great East Japan Earthquake and the nuclear power plant accident, the

Number of Japanese seafarers aboard international vessels, Japanese merchant fleet

significance of economic security assurance by Japanese merchant fleet has been more pronounced. In the circumstances, the amended Maritime Transport Low came into force in September 2012, establishing a “deemed-Japanese-flagged vessel” system. The deemed-Japanese-flagged vessel means a Foreign-flagged vessel operated by Japanese shipping firm and owned by their overseas subsidiaries which can change its flag to Japan immediately in case of issuing order of navigation in accordance with Maritime Transport Low. Furthermore, the FY2013 Tax System Reform Plan has expanded the target of the tonnage tax system to deemed-Japanese-flagged vessels as applicable vessels, to support the increased Japanese-flagged vessels and promote to secure the deemed Japanese-flagged vessels to perform a complementary role of Japanese-flagged vessels.

Japan will pursue to consolidate stable maritime transport that is functional in times of emergencies, as well as at ordinary times, by measures and other approaches as mentioned below.

### b. Acquiring and fostering seafarers

Acquiring and fostering Japanese ship seafarers, human resources of maritime transportation, is of essential importance to boosting Japan's economy and maintaining and upgrading national life. Yet, the number of Japanese international ship seafarers has fallen to about 2,400 after peaking at about 57,000. In the, concerns over stable marine transportation loom as coastal ship seafarers continues to get aged at a rapid pace (about 50% of the entire crew are 50 years old or more), with the result of a resultant dominant shortage of successors to them.

Those operators who have their Japanese-flagged vessels and Japanese seafarers Securing Plans accredited and who pursue to acquire and foster ship seafarers in accordance with these plans are supported, therefore, through the tonnage tax system for Japanese international ship seafarers

and through the implementation of a planned seafarers employment project for coastal ship seafarers. For the purpose of fostering new seafarers who possess the power of immediate and practical value to fill the needs of the shipping industry,
it accounts for about 40% of domestic distribution and about 80% of industrial basic material transport.

Under the influence of accelerating globalization of the world’s economy and changes in the domestic industrial structure from relocation of production bases to overseas, the volume of transportation demand remains stagnant for long, lasting to severity of the management environment. As ships continue to get aged rapidly, promotion of substitutional shipbuilding while steadily further improving transport efficiency would be essential in order to keep up with stable transportation while responding precisely to demand changes. To address this task, the Ministry supports

Figure II-6-3-8 Developments in Coastal shipping

with the reduction in the usage fee for substitutional shipbuilding that makes for better environmental profomance through joint ownership scheme and promotes the enhancement of competitiveness by making ships more energy-efficient. In addition, the study Council on Substitutional Shipbuilding Measures for Coastal Shipping compiles guidelines for the measures designed to pomote Substitutional shipbuilding for coastal shipping, such as reinforcing competitiveness, expanding into environmentally adaptive industries and responding to an evolving demand structure. In July 2012, approaches to activating coastal shipping through leveraging ship management companies were compiled and published as “Guidelines Relating to Ship Management Activities in Coastal Shipping.” In April 2013, a technique for assessing conformance with ship management companies’ Guidelines in coastal shipping was introduced to visualize the quality of the ship management companies’ management service offerings. Further, the smooth and steady implementation of Transitional Business for coastal shipping Note is also supported.

### d. Port and harbor transportation business

The port and harbor transportation business plays a vital role as a nodal point between marine transportation and land transportation. From viewpoints of streamlining business workflow and offering diverse services, the port and harbor transportation business has been deregulated by converting the entry procedures from a licensing system to a permit system and by converting the freightage and charges from an approval system to a prior notification system since November 2000 for nine major ports and May 2006 for other ports. (As of April 1, 2013, 42 new permits had been granted, with 269 revisions of the scope of business and 1,309 freightage and charge notifications submitted).

## (3) Shipbuilding industry

### a. Present status of the shipbuilding industry

Japan’s shipbuilding industry is an extremely important industry that contributes to regional economy and employment by providing a stable supply of quality vessels tailored to ship owner’s varied needs. Japan possesses a clustered integration of maritime industries in which the marine transport business, shipbuilding business and ship machinery business are closely linked to one another.
In the shipbuilding industry, China and Korea have rapidly built up their building capacities on the support of increases in marine transportation, etc. resulting from a booming global economy, boosting the world's volume of new shipbuilding for 2013 to 70.48 million gross tons (when compared with 14.59 gross tons for Japan, commanding 21% of the world's market). While the volume of orders taken by Japan has turned upward, a tough international competition goes on, dampening the ship prices.

The production of ship machinery products (except for outboard motors) for 2012 was valued at 79.91 billion yen (down about 15.3% from its year earlier level), with an export amount of 19.31 billion yen (down about 18.1% from its year earlier level). The climate surrounding the ship machinery business is predicted to become harsher than ever, with stiffening global competition and increasingly aged employees.

### b. Approaches to consolidating the international competitiveness of the shipbuilding industry

To consolidate the international competitiveness of Japan’s shipbuilding industry and allow Japan to stay a first-class shipbuilding nation, the implementation of a policy package focusing on boosting Japan’s order-taking capacities and deployment into new markets and new segments of business, need to be propelled.

Starting from FY2013, support has been extended to shipbuilders, shipping operators and the like in their efforts to develop next-generation marine environment technologies that help enhance fuel efficiencies for their vessels with a view to reinforce Japan’s order-taking capacities. An environmental improvement project aimed at speeding the practical usefulness and installation of low-environmental-impact, natural gas-fueled ships has also been launched since FY2013. The Ministry is committed to realizing a desirable framework of international collaboration under cooperation between the public and private sectors and exploring, and promoting the diffusion of, energy-saving technologies for ships, natural gas-fueled ships and so on.

Approaches to the promising growth fields of marine resources development, renewable marine energy sources
### b. Conditioning the real estate market

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism surveys real estate trade prices, etc. nationwide in a bid to make the real estate market more transparent and streamline and reactivate deals. Information thus collected from such surveys, including locations, areas and prices of real properties traded, is uploaded at a Website on the Internet (Land General Information System $ {}^{Note} $ ) with due care taken to prevent identification of the individual properties (as of March 2014, information on 1,935,344 properties was posted, attracting a total of about 430 million accesses).

International agencies have worked together to draft Handbook on Residential Property Price Indices (RPPI Handbook) to build an Early Warning Signal System by taking lessons from the subprime and other crises. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism responded to RPPI Handbook to prepare Japan Residential Property Price Index and put them into trial service in August 2012. It now debates their full-scale implementation. These indices have also been specified as the IMF’s Financial Soundness Indicators (FSIs).

In addition, efforts to refurbish the secondhand house trading environment are underway to promote the circulation of secondhand housing that commands a smaller share of the entire volume of housing in circulation than in Europe and the U.S. Those made during FY2013 include exploring a scheme of concentrating records of housing transactions completed in the past and information relevant to real-estate dealing, such as urban planning information, and making them accessible to Registered Building Lots and Buildings Dealers and the like, supporting the development of one-stop services in collaboration with specialized contractors in the fields of real-estate dealing, such as house remodeling and formulating guidelines aimed at improving the assessment of buildings relevant to secondhand detached houses.

Figure II-6-3-13 Land General Information System

○Since April 2006, trade price information based on questionnaires conducted among parties to real-estate deals has been posted every quarter at a Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Website with care to protect the properties in question from being identified easily.

○A total of 1,935,344 records are available, which attracted about 430 million Web accesses (averaging 7.25 million a month [FY2013 results]).