In order to solve local economic and social issues in flexible and strong ways while supporting growth, we promote economic strategies for regional roads that fully utilize ICT and big data.

Background/data

-After introduction of ETC 2.0, establish a system for collecting big data including road traffic speed.
-The number of foreign visitors who rent cars increased 6x over the 6 years from 2011 to 2016.
-The number of accidents involving foreign drivers of rented cars increased 3x over the 3 years from 2014 to 2016.

○Promote experimental use and implementation of various big data including those from ETC 2.0 considering region-specific challenges, such as utilizing big data collected from rented cars to identify locations that are particularly dangerous for foreigners and to take measures to mitigate such risks.
○In order to promote the creation of new private-sector traffic services, advance the "Open ETC 2.0" drive to share ETC 2.0 data in public-private partnership and enhance local mobility services.
○Collaborate with the open innovation and "ICT/traffic management plan" in each region, and promote the establishment of "local traffic data centers" that will be the core for big data use.
○Improve content of information sharing with ETC 2.0 to contribute to further improvement of safety and convenience for users.

Measures against pin-point accidents involving rented cars and foreign visitors to Japan

Aiming to be a "developed tourist country", we work to make sightseeing destinations safe and comfortable, with smooth access, and to establish and promote guideboards that are easy for visitors to understand.

Background/data

-The number of foreign travelers to Japan in 2018 was 3.119 million (3.7 times more than in 2012)
-Total amount spent by foreign travelers in Japan was approximately 4.5 trillion JPY (2018 )
-Losses due to traffic congestion caused by sightseeing are approximately 1 trillion JPY. Traffic congestion is the top complaint of tourists.

○Promote the introduction of regional congestion mitigation policies including tolls, using innovative technologies including ICT, AI etc. in tourist areas to adjust traffic demand.
○Promote the creation of comfortable spaces at sightseeing sites, through principal measures like the opening up of road spaces and the removal of roadside utility poles near world cultural heritage sites and Important Preservation Districts for Groups of Traditional Buildings, etc,
○Promote the improvement of welcoming inbound environment at Michinoeki, and service and parking areas, by introducing JNTO-certified tourist information centers and free Wi-Fi connections, western style toilets, tax-free stores, etc.
○Invite tourists to rural areas by encouraging foreign visitors who rent cars to use the Japan Expressway Pass, which allows unlimited use of expressways at a fixed rate, and by 2020 promote easy-to-understand information with the expressway numbering system, etc.

Promotion of traffic congestion mitigation measures near sightseeing destinations

Improving the environment for cycling

-We promote initiatives to provide smooth transportation for games officials, etc.
-Taking the games as an opportunity, we promote consistent and broad universal designs, measures to suppress temperature increases of road spaces as a solution for athletes and audience, as well as easy-to-understand guideboards, etc.

Background/data

-The number of officials, staff and audience during the period of the games will be approx. 10.46 million (source: Transportation Plan for Tokyo Olympic games) (June 2017)

- The transportation routes for athletes, etc. between the athlete's villages and stadiums/venues were decided in April 2018 and the marathon course was decided in May 2018.

○For roads around the game venues including the "accessible routes"*37, we promote consistent and broad universal design.
○To suppress heat for athletes and audience, we promote initiatives such as greening roads and introducing heat-blocking pavement, with a goal of suppressing temperature rise at road spaces.
○With a view to creating attractive city scenery, we promote the removal of roadside utility poles and decoration of road facilities like pavements.
○Promote initiatives so they are close to complete by 2020, including numbering expressways, improving guideboards around the game venues, etc.

Creating athlete/audience-friendly roads