Japan Govt Adopts Bill to Promote Drivers’ Work-Style Reform

Tokyo, March 6 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government on Friday adopted a bill to promote work-style reform for truck drivers by supporting systems that enable logistics firms to relay cargo, allowing drivers to limit their work to day trips. The bill to revise the logistics streamlining law calls for designating warehouses, truck terminals and other facilities on long-distance routes with spaces for temporarily storing unloaded cargo as “relay transportation facilities.” Such facilities will enable the transfer of goods from one truck to another, enabling trucks to drive back after passing on the cargo. Under the bill, the government will subsidize the costs of drawing up plans for multiple logistics firms to relay cargo. If the plans are approved, the government will also subsidize operation costs for the first year. Additionally, the bill calls for reducing fixed asset tax and other burdens for newly built relay transportation facilities, on the condition that such facilities conclude agreements with local municipalities where they are located. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]