Minister Kaneko Briefing: Automated Driving Standards and Disaster Response

At the briefing on June 26, 2026, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism explained policy issues across several fields, including automated driving, disasters, maritime safety, aviation services, and railway development.

At WP.29, held in Geneva, an official from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism led the discussions as co-chair, resulting in the development of international standards for Level 4 automated driving systems.

The minister described the agreement as one result of the Automated Driving Society Realization Headquarters’ efforts to harmonize standards and expressed his intention to lead international discussions toward safe and secure automated driving.

The automated driving standards broaden safety assurance from the vehicle itself to overall operations by requiring manufacturers to build appropriate organizational systems and conduct monitoring after production and sales, in addition to producing safe vehicles.

Residents in areas along the typhoon’s path are being urged to check hazard maps, prepare for evacuation, monitor disaster weather information, evacuation information, and transportation operators’ service information, and evacuate early.

For maritime transport, ensuring the safety of Japan-related vessels, especially their crews, is considered the highest priority. For aviation services, careful assistance for users affected by the system change, determination of the cause, and prevention of recurrence are required.

For the earthquake, after it occurred at 7:30 a.m. on June 25, no damage to facilities under the ministry’s jurisdiction had been confirmed as of 6:00 a.m. on June 26, and water outages, cloudy tap water, road closures, and railway service suspensions had been resolved. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism advanced investigations and the assessment of support needs through its emergency structure, specific disaster response headquarters meetings, patrol vessels and aircraft, disaster prevention helicopters, liaison officers, and JETT.

For the heavy rain, the seasonal rain front and Typhoon No. 7 caused transportation disruptions from Kyushu through the Kanto-Koshin region, as well as landslide damage in Yamaguchi and Kagoshima prefectures. The ministry is issuing warnings in coordination with the Japan Meteorological Agency, operating hotlines with 83 municipalities, dispatching drainage pump vehicles and other resources, and providing explanations through JETT.

Regarding the situation in the Middle East, the IMO evacuation plan was temporarily suspended after reports of an attack, while 2 Japan-related vessels passed through the Strait of Hormuz. For the remaining 35 vessels, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism continues to gather and provide information in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other bodies.

ANA renewed its passenger services using a new system for domestic flight journeys from May 19, 2026, and incidents including online check-in issues occurred. The Aviation Bureau instructed ANA to provide careful assistance to users, determine the cause, and prevent recurrence.

For the Shizuoka section of the Linear Chuo Shinkansen, procedures including explanatory meetings for residents in the Oigawa Basin are progressing. Shizuoka Prefecture stated that it had not decided to approve construction starting next month, while the governor told the prefectural assembly on June 23 that he might express his view soon. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism is coordinating with the relevant local governments and JR Central to create conditions for early construction and early opening.