Starting from June 2015, we held the “review meeting on promoting diversification of delivery receipt methods to reduce redeliveries” consisting of delivery business operators, mail order business operators and the like to understand the current status and analyze causes with the aim of reducing avoidable redeliveries, and compiled a report on tasks to be addressed and direction of countermeasures in September of the same year.

The development of technologies and businesses for unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, is rapidly progressing, and there is a possibility of using them in the area of logistics to transport goods in depopulated areas and cities and in emergencies such as a disaster. Therefore, on the assumption that flight safety is ensured based on formulation of basic flight rules upon enforcement of the Act to Partially Amend the Civil Aeronautics Act in December 2015, we plan to work toward early realization of drone use in logistics by conducting surveys and identifying issues toward commercialization of drones.

(3) Further efforts to implement logistic services that are more sophisticated, comprehensive, and efficient.

To accelerate the implementation of the 3PL business Note $ ^{1} $ Furthermore, the MLIT not only arranges for the environment in which logistic companies find it easier to make inroads into the 3PL business easier, by participating in human resources development and training sessions, creating guidelines for small and medium business companies to enter the EC market, but also seeks to generalize and simplify the logistic flow through a system of accreditation for total efficiency plans in accordance with the Act on Advancement of Integration and streamlining of Distribution Business.

As of the end of March 2016, 289 total efficiency plans were accredited in accordance with the Act. In addition, we compiled “KPI for Logistics Companies Note 3” in March 2015 with the aim of increasing efficiency in logistics operations through coordinated efforts between logistics companies and shippers.

## (4) Measures for labor shortage in logistics sector

Under the influence of falling birthrates with aging populations, concerns over shrinking workforces are looming mainly in the trucking and domestic shipping sectors. Amid these circumstances, in order to secure the human resources needed in logistics and enhance logistics efficiency/labor saving, we are working to further facilitate modal shifts and joint transportation and to reduce redeliveries in order to boost logistics efficiency/labor saving, while striving to promote social significance of logistics business effectively, in accordance with the Action Plans for Measures for Labor Shortage in Logistics Sector (March 2015 by the MLIT).

In addition, the Logistics Taskforce was established under the Subcommittee of Infrastructure Development Council in April 2015, and based on a report complied in December of the same year at a joint meeting with Basic Policy Taskforce under Road Subcommittee of Infrastructure Development Council, we are working to increase productivity of logistics business, while promoting development of working environments where everyone can work and take active roles regardless of gender and age as well as creation of attractive workplaces where people can keep motivated to work with pride, such as by reducing long work hours and increasing wages.