The 45th JTTRI Symposium on Research: Spring 2019

Masafumi Shukuri
Chairman, Japan Transport and Tourism Research Institute (JTTRI)

Noriyoshi Yamagami
Vice-Director-General, Policy Bureau, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT)

Hirotaka Yamauchi
President for Research, Japan Transport and Tourism Research Institute (JTTRI)

Kazuhisa Fukasaku
Senior Research Fellow, Japan Transport and Tourism Research Institute (JTTRI)

“Survey on the Possibility of Utilizing AI, etc. in the Transport and Tourism sectors” (Japanese)

While attention has been focused on the dramatic evolution of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in recent years, attention is also being paid to the use of AI in the transport and tourism sectors. The purpose of this survey is to (1) grasp the actual situation of AI utilization in these sectors, and (2) identify the policy issues and survey and research issues that should be prioritized for the utilization of AI in these sectors. In this presentation, Mr. Fukasaku will firstly report the results of sorting out the progress of AI utilization in these sectors, and then, report the results of discussions at opinion exchange meetings involving experts and practitioners to identify issues.

Yasuhiro Sega
Senior Research Fellow, Japan Transport and Tourism Research Institute (JTTRI)

“Research on Improvement of Port Efficiency in Japan by Automation and AI” (Japanese)

It is feared that the number of workers will decrease and the skill of skilled workers will be lost at the ports in Japan due to the declining birthrate and aging population. On the other hand, science and technology such as AI and IoT have been advancing in recent years, and MLIT is trying to advance the AI terminal policy to improve productivity and working environment at ports by using such technologies. The purpose of this research was to analyze the problems and quantifications related to the improvement of port efficiency in Japan through automation and AI, and conducted analysis using production functions. As a result, Mr. Sega gained knowledge about the current issues of automated equipment and ports that should be improved in efficiency.

Ryosuke abe
Research Fellow, Japan Transport and Tourism Research Institute (JTTRI)

“Consideration for Introducing Self-driving Cars on Buses and Taxis ” (Japanese)

In Japan, a number of demonstration experiments have been carried out with the aim of commercializing services using autonomous vehicles from around 2020.
In this presentation, Mr. Abe will report the latest study results regarding the introduction of autonomous vehicles in buses and taxis.
In particular, he will organize and analyze the trends on the service provider side (medium-to-long term outlook, issues for realization of fixed route and non-fixed route services) and the user side (user awareness of safety), and then show the future direction.

Keiji Yamamoto
Executive Vice President, TOYOTA Connected Company

“Toward the Creation of a Smart Mobility Society”

With the progress of electrification, intelligence, and information technology, the automobile industry is about to undergo a major revolution once every 100 years.
Mr. Yamamoto introduced how mobility itself is changing centering on MaaS, and the image of a rich and fruitful mobility society that we should aim for in the future, together with the e-Palette Concept and the current status of technological development to realize it.

Haruo Ishida
Specially Appointed Professor, Department of Transportation Systems Engineering, College of Science and Technology, Nihon University

Keiji Yamamoto
Executive Vice President, TOYOTA Connected Company

Takuto Hayashida
Senior Research Fellow, Japan Transport and Tourism Research Institute (JTTRI)

“Structural Understanding of the Impact of Economic Situations and Population Structure on Passenger Transport Volume in Japan” (Japanese)

It is considered that the vitalization of regional transportation and the expansion of the exchange population are issues, and in order to address them, it is necessary to analyze the trends of passengers such as railways. In this research, Mr. Hayashida constructed a statistical model for the number of passengers by economic and demographic structure. As a result, he was able to clarify the effects of economic scale, real fare, and the number of cars on the number of passengers per capita. Among them, it was recognized that the coefficient (elasticity) of the number of workers was large, and it was found that the increase in the number of workers was particularly large in the increase in the number of passengers from 2013 to 2017.

Akira Hosono
Research Fellow, Japan Transport and Tourism Research Institute (JTTRI)

“Actual Situations of Tourism and Railway Use of Foreign Visitors in the Tokyo Area” (Japanese)

The number of foreign visitors, which has rapidly increased in recent years, has a great impact on Japanese society.　
In this research, using existing statistics, Mr. Hosono conducted an analysis and estimation of tourism behavior, actual situations of accommodation, and number of railway users in the Tokyo area for foreign visitors to Japan. Regarding the number of guests, about half of the guests in Tokyo area were staying near Shinjuku, Tokyo, Shimbashi, and there were also a certain number in the suburbs, and the places visited were mainly Shinjuku, Shibuya, Akihabara, Maihama, etc. It was also found that the number of railway users in the Tokyo area is about 200,000 to 300,000 per day.

Makoto Harunari
Managing Director, Japan Transport and Tourism Research Institute (JTTRI)