The number of packages handled by parcel delivery services in fiscal 2018 increased 1.3 percent from the previous year to 4.31 billion, hitting a record high for the fourth consecutive year, according to transport ministry data released Tuesday. Of the total, the number of items ...
ZMP's food delivery robot ready to pick up the slack in graying Japan
Mix the rise of e-commerce in Japan with a chronic labor shortage and a graying society and what do you get? An autonomous home delivery robot with a cartoon character voice and big inquisitive eyes. "I'm delivering delicious food," announced CarriRo Deli, a robot the size ...
In first convenience store tie-up, Uber Eats to try delivering Lawson goods in Tokyo
Uber Technologies Inc. said Tuesday it will start delivering Lawson Inc. convenience store items on a trial basis starting this week. In the U.S. ride-hailing giant's first delivery tie-up with a convenience store operator, Uber Eats will take orders for around 100 items, including cooked ...
Consumers got a glimpse of the future this week when an unmanned delivery drone jointly developed by Yamato and a Textron unit made its first successful flight.
Japan's labor crunch provides opportunities for more women to take the wheel
From moving companies to taxi and train operators, Japanese firms have been recruiting more female drivers amid a serious labor shortage that is hitting the service sector particularly hard. But taking steps to support female drivers has become a critical challenge for companies, as many ...
Amazon Japan raises cost of Prime membership for first time in 11 years, by 26% to ¥4,900
U.S. e-commerce giant Amazon.com Inc. has raised the price of its Prime membership service in Japan for the first time since launching the service 11 years ago, citing rising costs. The annual price for shipping, video-streaming and an array of other services rose by 26 ...
Faced with Japan's changing habits and demographics, delivery firm Sagawa looks to diversify
Sagawa delivery driver Keisuke Kawabe has seen the video that went viral on the internet two years ago of one of his colleagues smashing up parcels out of frustration that the customer wasn't home, and he doesn't approve. "Of course I can understand it to ...
Drone deliveries ready to soar in Japan but lingering issues likely to keep post office in business
A drone carrying a package sails through the air, touching down to make a delivery right on a customer's doorstep. Amazon.com Inc. wowed the world in 2013 with a video purporting to show what the future of the delivery industry would look like. But are ...
Yamato and DeNA test autonomous delivery system in Japan
On Tuesday, Yamato Transport Co. and DeNA Co. tested an autonomous vehicle delivery service to gauge the potential of self-driving technology in the field of logistics. The two Tokyo-based companies conducted the experiment in Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture, in which an electric car navigated through a ...
Amazon Japan hikes shipping rates amid rising logistic costs
The moves comes as the door-to-door delivery industry is facing driver shortages from the rapid surge in the volume of online shopping.
Yamato Holdings Co. plans to provide logistics services in Myanmar through a joint venture with a local partner, aiming to capitalize on growing demand for trade and road transport from foreign companies. Yamato Global Logistics Myanmar Co., set up at the end of last year ...
The Japan Times newsroom selected these economy and technology stories as the most important of 2017. 1. Morass of data scandals: Kobe Steel Ltd., Mitsubishi Materials Corp. and Toray Industries Inc. were all swept up in data falsification scandals, damaging Japan's reputation for high-quality production. In ...
