Tag - buses

 
 

BUSES

The National Police Agency is planning to introduce driver's licenses for automatic transmission trucks and buses, as such vehicles accounted for about 90% of large buses and 70% of large trucks sold last year.
JAPAN
Apr 19, 2024
Japan eyes automatic transmission licenses for trucks and buses
The move comes in response to the spread of AT vehicles and the issue of driver shortages.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi (second from left) speaks at a ministerial meeting on acceptance of foreign workers on Friday at the Prime Minister's Office.
JAPAN
Mar 29, 2024
Japan adds driver and railway roles to skilled foreign worker visa
Japan plans to admit up to 820,000 foreigners with this visa in the next five fiscal years
People line up to board a city bus outside JR Kyoto Station in Kyoto on Feb. 29.
JAPAN
Mar 10, 2024
Kyoto may launch tourist express bus service to beat overcrowding
The city government said it is looking to introduce in June "a sightseeing express bus" that can travel to major tourism sites.
Facing severe shortages of drivers, Japan will offer tests for driver's licenses for taxis and buses in foreign languages to attract more foreign nationals to the sector.
JAPAN / Society
Feb 11, 2024
Japan taxi and bus driver's license tests to go multilingual
The National Police Agency will issue sample exam questions nationwide in 20 languages by the end of March.
To help alleviate labor shortages, positions such as taxi, bus and truck drivers are expected to become eligible for the Specified Skilled Worker No. 1 visa.
JAPAN
Jan 28, 2024
Japan preparing to add transport roles to skilled visa amid shortages
The move would bring the eligible industries under the Specified Skilled Worker No. 1 visa to 16 with railway, forestry and timber sectors under review.
A minibus that crashed into a telephone pole in Kasuya, Fukuoka Prefecture, on Thursday
JAPAN
Jan 25, 2024
20 people injured in southwest Japan bus crash
The 13 women and seven men were taken to a hospital following the accident at around 6:30 a.m. They were all conscious and did not have life-threatening injuries.
Tokyu Bus Corp. President Takashi Furukawa wants to set a precedent for fellow bus operators that are in desperate need of drivers, drawing on his experience working in Vietnam, where he once helped introduce Japanese know-how in running transportation services.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Jan 20, 2024
Tokyo bus operator banks on foreign drivers as shortage looms
Tokyu Bus Corp. President Takashi Furukawa wants to set a precedent for fellow bus operators that are in desperate need of drivers.
The site in Furano, Hokkaido, where a tractor trailer hit a bus on Friday. Twelve people were injured.
JAPAN
Dec 8, 2023
Foreign tourists among 12 injured in Hokkaido bus accident
The driver of the bus and nine foreign nationals were sent to a hospital, but their injuries were not believed to be life-threatening.
Cabs not in operation are parked at a taxi company in Naha in October. Finding a taxi in parts of Okinawa Prefecture is becoming increasingly difficult because of a shortage of drivers.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Okinawa
Nov 27, 2023
Getting a taxi in Okinawa harder than ever amid driver shortage
The number of cab drivers working in the prefecture peaked at 10,041 in 2009 and declined to 5,246 in 2021.
Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Tetsuo Saito
JAPAN / Society
Oct 10, 2023
Japan to add driving to specified foreign worker skills
"We'll make various efforts to ensure that local residents and tourists have access to necessary means of transportation," minister Tetsuo Saito said.
Delivery trucks at a parking area along the highway in Chiba Prefecture in April
JAPAN / Society
Sep 14, 2023
Japan set to expand visa framework to tackle driver shortage
The planned expansion of the visa framework is to attract foreign nationals to the logistics industries and to address the driver shortage problem.
Local buses operated by Nishi-Nippon Railroad in the city of Fukuoka
JAPAN / Society
Aug 20, 2023
Half of bus drivers greet each other with gestures, defying rules
The practice of drivers greeting each other while driving was banned by the Tokyo Bus Association in 2003 after a fatal accident involving a pedestrian.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
Jul 17, 2023
Firms and authorities stop requiring staff to display names amid harassment
Concerns have been raised that name tags showing full names can lead to people identifying workers' personal information on social media.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 27, 2023
Just over half of preschool buses in Japan fitted with safety devices
The devices were made mandatory following an incident in which a 3-year-old girl died after being left behind in a school's bus last September.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 17, 2023
Japan government to establish council to revitalize regional transportation
Possible measures include effectively integrating public bus and school bus operators to reduce workload and improve profitability.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 7, 2023
Japan aims to boost number of trains and buses able to accept cyclists
The central government's program to promote the use of bicycles strongly recommends the introduction of cycle trains and buses.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
May 18, 2023
SoftBank unit bringing Estonian self-driving buses to Japan
Tokyo-based Boldly plans to have self-driving buses operating in eight new areas in Japan this fiscal year to cater to rapidly aging communities.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
Apr 3, 2023
Japanese preschools rush to install safety devices on buses for children
The transport ministry released specification guidelines for the devices in December, with a number of organizations quickly adopting the measures to enhance safety on their buses.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 28, 2023
As Philippines scraps jeepney buses, operators struggle with costs
The government has ordered replacement of the beloved but elderly utility vehicles with greener, safer models.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 14, 2023
Requirement for preschool bus safety devices set to come into force
The new rule follows a series of incidents in which children were left unattended inside buses or other vehicles, with some of them resulting in deaths.

Longform

Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.
The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores