Kokusai-Kotsu-Ron (International Transport Theory - Policy, Industry, and Its Prospects)

This book summarizes the most basic and important themes of the “International Transport Policy” Course offered at the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Public Policy since the 2014 academic year. This was written by people from industry, government, and academics who have actually served as lecturers in the course; Visiting Professor Masafumi Shukuri and Project Professor Shinji Jikumaru, who are affiliated with the Graduate School of Public Policy served as the editors.
 
The aim of this course is to focus on the international transport of people and goods such as air and sea transport, and the international relationship of technology and know-how in Japan’s transport industry and infrastructure such as railways. Specifically, it aims to carefully investigate the policies and actual circumstances of these aspects and discuss the ideal paths forward for Japan’s international transport policy. The course is held in an omnibus format, which includes guest speakers such as government officials, top executives of companies, and leading researchers who make policy and management decisions in each field of international transport and have a broad overview of each field. Each lecture is followed by a discussion on the topic between the lecturer and the students.
 
Several features of this book are listed below. The first feature is that the book is written so that first-line people from industry, government, and academia discuss international transport from the fields’ respective perspectives; readers will thus be able to understand the actual circumstances of international transport today as a whole. There are almost no similar examples of the results of industry-academia-government cooperation in international transport. In particular, as indicated in the subtitle of this book, Policies and Industry, the management decisions and strategies of the industries that actually provide services in the transportation sector are important elements when discussing “international transport policy,” thus the discussion of corporate management occupies a large proportion of this book. The second feature is that not limiting the scope to sea and air transport alone, which involves the actual international transport of people and goods, and internationally expanding Japan's high-quality technology and know-how, such as railways, is one of the major pillars of international transport policy. In Japan, with its declining population, many industries have begun to focus on international expansion as part of their growth strategies; among such efforts, the international expansion of transport infrastructure is positioned as a core field. This book presents many clues for deepening discussions on the significance, current situations, challenges, and prospects of the international expansion of transport infrastructure. The third feature is that this book devotes many pages to “domestic transport,” which is also related to the second point. As globalization continues to progress, various policies, management strategies, and businesses are becoming relevant on both a domestic and international level, which is a sign that the scope of discussion is expanding in terms of international transport policy as well.
 
It is hoped that through reading this book, many people will first understand the actual circumstances of transport in Japan and this will thereby deepen and invigorate discussions on international transport policy. Furthermore, it is hoped that students who will be active in Japan and worldwide in the future, as well as readers, will deepen their awareness of Japan’s strengths weaknesses, and issues through discussions on international transport, and obtain useful insights and perspectives on the topic.
 

(Written by JIKUMARU Shinji, Project Professor, Graduate School of Public Policy / 2022)