specific improvement case examples and disseminate/expand them.

Also, in light of concerns about labor shortages for truck drivers over the medium and long term, we will work on measures that contribute to improved productivity in the track business by, for example, facilitating introduction of junction transportation, in addition to the above mentioned efforts.

(4) Securing and fostering bearers of motor carrier businesses, etc.

Motor carrier businesses that undertake the movement of people and goods (trucking, bus and taxi businesses, and automotive maintenance business that contributes to safety assurance in these businesses) are a social infrastructural industry of vital importance to sustaining Japan’s economy and means of regional transportation.

A look into the employment structure of the motor carrier businesses, however, suggests that the workforce more or less depends on middle-aged and elderly workers, with female workers accounting only for about 2%. If this condition lasts, a serious shortage of bearers of these businesses is feared to occur in the future.

In the light of these circumstances, the MLIT has defined the year 2015 as the “first year of human resources securing fostering” and worked out its future approaches to analyzing current status across

these businesses, identifying problems, encouraging the work of younger and female workers and so on.

Figure II-6-3-5	Employment Structure of the Motor Carrier Businesses, etc.
Bus	Taxi	Truck	Automotive maintenance	Total industry average
Number of drivers and maintenance technicians	130,000 (FY 2014)	350,000 (FY 2014)	800,000 (2015)	400,000 (2015)	—
(Female ratio)	1.5% (FY 2014)	2.5% (FY 2014)	2.5% (2015)	1.3% (2015)	43.2% (2015)
Average age	49.2 (2015)	58.9 (2015)	47.3 (2015)	44.3 (2015)	42.3 (2015)
Working hours	209 hours (2015)	194 hours (2015)	218 hours (2015)	188 hours (2015)	177 hours (2015)
Annual income	JPY 4.26 million (2015)	JPY 3.09 million (2015)	JPY 4.37 million (2015)	JPY 4.21 million (2015)	JPY 4.89 million (2015)

For the truck business, in addition to having full-fledged discussions to improve transactional environments and long working hours at councils consisting of members that include shippers and other relevant parties, we are working on measures to secure bearers by, for example, enhancing information dissemination and awareness of business managers, leveraging “Female Truck Driver Promotion Project Site”.

Furthermore, in the area of automotive maintenance, we will work to improve the image of mechanics in the mind of young people including women by promoting mechanics by visiting higher educational institutions and using posters in joint efforts of private and public sectors. Also, we are conducting surveys on the actual status and putting together improvement measures concerning the working environment and treatment of workers through expert review meetings.

## 3 Trends in maritime industries and measures

(1) Achieving stable marine transportation

(i) Achieving Japanese-flagged vessels and Japanese seafarers

As Japan is a nation with limited resources surrounded by the sea in all its sides, international shipping, which depends on 99.6% of the Japan's trade, plays a significant role in its infrastructure for Japanese economy and national life. Maintaining a certain size of Japanese-flagged vessels and seafarers, over which Japan has regal jurisdiction, in peacetime is necessary in light of ensuring economic security assurance, the size has been on a declining trend due to loss of cost competitiveness in association with yen's appreciation and other factors.

In order to address these situations, the MLIT has worked to secure Japanese-flagged vessels and Japanese seafarers in a systematic manner by applying the tonnage tax system $ ^{*} $ Note since 2008 to operators of outgoing ships certified by the plan