FY2026 Project to Eliminate Transport Gaps: Kumamoto Earthquake Awards
Overview
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism conducted a fourth-round application call under the package for supporting the lives and livelihoods of disaster victims. The call supported solutions to newly arising local transport challenges in areas affected by the 2026 Kumamoto Earthquake, and two projects were selected under the Transport Gap Elimination category. Eligible projects include introducing new transport services and building systems in which stakeholders from other fields work together to support mobility.
Key points
- Two projects were selected in the fourth-round call under the Transport Gap Elimination category.
- Eligible projects address local transport challenges newly arising from damage caused by the Kumamoto Earthquake.
- Eligible measures include public ridesharing, demand-responsive transport, and shared-ride taxis, as well as mobility support systems developed in collaboration with other fields.
Overview
The FY2026 Project for the Full-Scale Rollout of Redesign to Eliminate Transport Gaps and Related Issues supports efforts to maintain and revitalize local transport, including by resolving the urgent issue of transport gaps.
This application call is based on the Package for Supporting the Lives and Livelihoods of Disaster Victims, adopted on August 27, 2026, by the Kumamoto Earthquake Emergency Response Headquarters.
Details
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism opened the fourth-round application call on September 11 to support projects addressing local transport challenges newly arising from disaster impacts. Details of the selected projects are provided in a separate document.
The Transport Gap Elimination category covers areas where local governments or others have identified transport gaps and projects aimed at resolving them.
Projects may include introducing new transport services, such as public ridesharing, demand-responsive transport, and shared-ride taxis, and building systems in which stakeholders from fields such as medical care, welfare, and education work together to support mobility.