Minister Ibayashi’s Press Conference Summary
Overview
Minister Ibayashi reported that the Cabinet had approved a bill to amend the Specified Tanker Act and that the amended Regional Transportation Act had taken effect. In response to reports of bid rigging in Tokyo Metropolitan Government subway maintenance work, he said the ministry would monitor developments at the Japan Fair Trade Commission and respond appropriately. Regarding an inquiry from Representative Yanagi, he explained that it had not affected the allocation work for the FY2026 budget and that he had been told there was no data needed to compare the allocation proposals.
Key points
- The Cabinet approved a bill expanding the cases in which grants equivalent to the government reinsurance portion may be provided.
- Following the amended Regional Transportation Act’s entry into force, the first project implementation plan in Japan was certified.
- In response to reports of bid rigging in Tokyo Metropolitan Government subway works, the ministry will monitor developments at the Japan Fair Trade Commission.
- The explanation was that Representative Yanagi’s inquiry had no effect on budget allocation work and that comparing the allocation proposals would be difficult.
Overview
At the press conference, Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Tatsunori Ibayashi reported the Cabinet’s approval of a government bill and the entry into force of the amended Regional Transportation Act, and answered questions about reports of bid rigging in Tokyo Metropolitan Government subway maintenance work and an inquiry from Representative Yanagi.
Impact
The bill was described as ensuring the continued availability of shipowners’ liability insurance and securing a stable supply of crude oil, liquefied natural gas, and petroleum products.
The ministry stated its policy of expanding nationwide efforts to use local transport resources and supporting the elimination of local “transportation deserts.”
Details
The bill to amend the Specified Tanker Act expands the cases in which the government may provide grants equivalent to the reinsurance portion, in preparation for a suspension of reinsurance provided by foreign governments or other entities. The covered products are crude oil, liquefied natural gas, and petroleum products, for which a stable supply is to be secured by maintaining shipowners’ liability insurance.
The amended Regional Transportation Act took effect on the day of the press conference and includes the creation of the “Automotive Regional Passenger Transport Service Reorganization Project,” among other measures. As the first project in Japan to use the scheme, an implementation plan for Sagamihara City, Kanagawa Prefecture, was certified, and the Director of the Kanto District Transport Bureau was scheduled to hand the certification document to the mayor.
In response to reports that the Japan Fair Trade Commission had found 6 contractors in violation of the Antimonopoly Act and planned to issue cease-and-desist orders and surcharge payment orders to 5 of them, the minister explained that the orders had not yet been issued. He said that bid rigging, if true, would be regrettable, and that the ministry would respond appropriately in light of the Commission’s developments.
According to confirmation by the department responsible for the project, an inquiry made by Representative Yanagi to the Diet liaison staff around mid-February had not been conveyed to that department and had no effect on the allocation work for the initial FY2026 budget. At the time, the department was reviewing requests from local governments, and allocation proposals had not yet been prepared. Therefore, no data existed for comparing the allocation proposals for Nasukarasuyama City and Nakagawa Town, and comparison based on analysis of system logs and other records was considered difficult.