投稿を日本語で読むAuthors: Abhineet Kaul (Access Partnership), Swee Cheng Wei (Access Partnership), Chailyn Ong (Access Partnership)Advisors: Dr. Tomoaki Watanabe (GLOCOM), Dr. Masato Ito (GLOCOM), Tatsuo Tanaka (GLOCOM)Summary: While Japan already boasts a high-quality transportation system well-utilized by people, there are new challenges in the face of societal changes, with one example being the recent taxi shortage. The user survey surfaced the reality that access is already becoming an issue, and many people are concerned about the future. Japan’s transportation system is renowned for maintaining a strong focus on punctuality, safety, and quality. However, in light of the aging population, depopulation in regional areas, and labor shortage, there is a need to reassess the current situation and transportation strategy in order to ensure access to mobility for all groups.As a first step to understanding the current situation of passenger transportation, Access Partnership, a leading policy consulting firm, has partnered with The Centre for Global Communications (GLOCOM) to conduct a nationwide user survey to better understand the transportation landscape in Japan.[1] Although there are existing studies on the transportation system, this survey aims to present fresh perspectives of people who live outside of large cities across Japan. We also took into account a variation of non-urban areas and different demographic groups.We looked into how mass transit such as buses and trains, taxis, and other private transportation meet users’ needs in 3 types of geographical areas, namely small municipalities, medium cities, and cities in large prefectures.

While the usage of personal cars is the highest in all areas, trust in transportation services is robust

Our survey reveals that respondents in Japan travel regularly, averaging 4.9 days per week and about 22% spend more than 1 hour traveling on average daily.  Personal car is the most popular mode of transportation in all city types. The use of trains is also prominent in the cities in large prefectures, but in smaller municipalities, the dependency on personal cars is pronounced.At the same time, almost half (49%) believe that Japan’s passenger transportation service is better than in other countries globally, showcasing the high regard that the Japanese hold their transportation system in.
Table 1: Top modes of transport used by respondents on a weekly basis, by city type (%age of respondents)
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