Japan's Jen-Proposed Road Map for Mobility Changes
Keidanren Mobility Committee Launched to Boost Japan's Green Transformation
The Keidanren Committee on Mobility, one of three new committees established by Keidanren, has been set up with the aim of stimulating industries for Japan's economic growth. This comprehensive economic organization, with nearly 1,500 representative Japanese company members, including major players in various sectors, is taking on a significant role in promoting sustainable mobility.
The inaugural session of the committee brought together more than 300 attendees, underscoring the importance of the initiative. The Keidanren Committee on Mobility aims to foster cooperation among diverse industry players and stakeholders to address mobility-related challenges with a broad, integrated approach that supports carbon neutrality and sustainable development.
In contrast, the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA) primarily represents Japan’s automobile manufacturers with a more focused scope on the automotive sector itself. JAMA’s activities concentrate on advancing technologies, standards, and regulations specifically for the automobile industry to achieve carbon neutrality.
The Keidanren Committee on Mobility and JAMA, while both promoting carbon neutrality in mobility, differ in their approaches. The Keidanren Committee emphasizes cross-sector collaboration beyond just the automotive industry to promote innovation, infrastructure, and policy measures for decarbonizing mobility in alignment with Japan’s broader environmental and industrial goals.
On the other hand, JAMA concentrates on developing clean vehicle technologies and improving vehicle emissions control to meet carbon neutrality targets within the auto sector. The Keidanren Committee, with its holistic, multi-industry framework, aims to enable sustainable mobility at a systemic level, while JAMA’s role centers on the automotive manufacturing industry's direct contributions and innovations in vehicle technologies.
Established on September 22, 2022, the Keidanren Mobility Committee is designed to expand the circle of collaboration to further reduce CO2 emissions and contribute to Japan's green and digital transformation. The committee is led by three chairs: Masakazu Tokura, Akio Toyoda, and Koji Arima.
The committee has received registration from over 200 companies across various industries, signifying a strong commitment to the pursuit of sustainable mobility. Chairman Tokura, also the head of Keidanren, emphasized the importance of all industries joining the effort to boost Japan's competitiveness, with the mobility industry serving as the pacesetter.
Akio Toyoda, one of the chairs of the Keidanren Mobility Committee, has demonstrated his commitment to carbon neutrality by driving an in-development hydrogen-engine vehicle at motorsports races. His call for a better understanding of carbon neutrality has attracted many like-minded partners, as shown by the growing number of companies jointly working on hydrogen engines.
Collaboration across industries is essential to reduce CO2 emissions in all processes of producing, transporting, and using energy. The Keidanren Mobility Committee is designed to facilitate cooperation with industries outside of the five leading automotive associations, emphasizing the increasing need for closer collaboration with the remaining 3.5 million workers in other industries, such as energy and logistics.
The committee focuses on discussing challenges related to the movement of people and goods, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive approach to sustainable mobility that extends beyond the automotive sector. As the Keidanren Mobility Committee continues its work, it is poised to play a pivotal role in Japan's transition towards a carbon-neutral future.
- The Keidanren Mobility Committee, with representation from various industries like finance, technology, and energy, aims to foster collaboration beyond the automotive sector to tackle challenges related to sustainable mobility.
- In addition to the automotive industry, the Keidanren Mobility Committee is also focusing on the transportation sector, discussing ways to ensure the movement of people and goods is environmentally friendly.
- The Keidanren Committee on Mobility, with its multi-industry approach, is encouraging businesses in sectors like finance and logistics to join the initiative, to collectively drive Japan's green and digital transformation.
