MLIT Joins Trade DX Industry Group Formation Committee

MLIT’s Ports and Harbours Bureau owns and operates Cyber Port, a data platform that digitizes port procedures, and promotes DX in port logistics.

By linking Cyber Port, as common infrastructure, with private-sector systems and trade DX services, Japan aims to enable all port procedures to be conducted digitally.

If data specifications and procedures are standardized, a foundation for coordination between government and private-sector services involved in port logistics will be developed, which is expected to promote the adoption of digital procedures by port users and improve productivity.

This initiative is one of the main measures for port logistics, which is designated in the Japan Growth Strategy as one of the strategic fields for crisis-management investment and growth investment.

The preparatory committee will consider, in a format enabling diverse businesses to participate, with a focus on trade DX service providers, the organization of data fields and formats, standardization of data specifications, and methods for smoothly linking data and procedures among services.

The initiators are the Japan Association for Simplification of International Trade Procedures and Shippio, Inc. Committee members are Nissin Corporation, Thomson Reuters K.K., Tokyo Kyodo Accounting Office, and TradeWaltz Inc.; the Trade Promotion Division of the Trade Policy Bureau at METI and the Counselor’s Office of MLIT’s Ports and Harbours Bureau serve as observers.

The preparatory committee is discussing the group’s mission, principles, name, initial business activities, operating structure, decision-making structure, articles of incorporation, rules, membership fees, and other matters. In coordination with METI, MLIT will support the smooth progress of discussions and the group’s activities after its launch as necessary.