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2025 | OriginalPaper | Chapter

12. From Automobile Industry to Mobility Industry? New Mobility Concepts and Policies in Japan

Author : Holger Bungsche

Published in: Global Shifts in the Automotive Sector

Publisher: Springer Nature Switzerland

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Abstract

This chapter delves into the transformative shifts occurring in Japan's mobility landscape, driven by the need for more efficient, sustainable, and inclusive transportation solutions. It begins by examining the socio-economic factors, particularly demographic changes and urbanization, that are reshaping Japan's mobility needs. The analysis reveals how these factors are influencing the domestic production and sales of cars, pushing manufacturers to innovate and adapt. The chapter then explores the evolving policies and concepts from both the government and industry, highlighting the pivotal role of the Japanese Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA) and leading companies like Toyota. It discusses the transition from traditional automobile manufacturing to a broader focus on mobility services, exemplified by Toyota's Woven City project. The chapter also reviews past and present programs aimed at spreading electric vehicles (EVs) and fostering new forms of mobility, providing a historical context for Japan's current initiatives. Furthermore, it assesses the implications of these new mobility concepts for the global strategies of Japanese manufacturers, emphasizing the unique opportunities and challenges presented by Japan's domestic market. The chapter concludes by summarizing the main findings and assessing whether Japan's automobile industry is indeed moving into new territory, offering a forward-looking perspective on the future of mobility in Japan and beyond.
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Footnotes
1
These are the three mega-trends the Japanese Automobile Manufacturers Association JAMA names in its 2050 Mobility Vision. Digitalization particularly refers to CASE (connected, automated, shared, electrified) and MaaS (mobility as a service).
 
2
Beginning in 2011 with the “Smart Mobility City”, the biannual event has increasingly put the thematical focus on mobility issues and was renamed the “Japan Mobility Show” in 2023.
 
3
The first beginnings of ITS Japan reach back to 1973, when the Ministry for International Trade and Industry (MITI) established the organization Comprehensive Automobile Traffic Control System (CACS). From its initial focus on improving traffic smoothness and safety, the ITS increasingly developed into an integrated system for efficient transport and logistics management, applying modern information and communication technologies for traffic management, surveillance, and guidance (ITS Japan, 2013, pp. 1–2).
 
4
The Sakura is not the first attempt to bring a Kei-BEV on the market. In 2009, Mitsubishi introduced the i-MiEV. However, with only 23,000 cars sold until production ended in March 2021, the car never met the company’s sales targets (Mihori, 2021).
 
5
Current specifications for Kei-cars are engine displacement up to max. 660 cc with up to 64 hp and a body size of max. 3.4 meters length, 1.48 meters width, and 2 meters heigh.
 
6
“Electrified vehicles” are defined in the document as electric cars, fuel cell cars, plug-in hybrid cars, and hybrid cars. Therefore, it is not an explicit ban on internal combustion engines (Japanese Government, 2021, p. 60).
 
7
According to Enechange EV Charge, a provider of charging facilities, in 2022 there were 42,744 charging stations (34,239 ordinary charging and 8,505 quick charging stations) (Enechange EV charge, 2023).
 
8
The underlying data for these social developments are that by 2050 Japan’s population will shrink by 19.6% and 37.7% of the population will be elderly people. Depopulated areas will increase to 18.7%, while the share of the population living in the three metropolitan areas of Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka will increase to 56.7%. By 2050 almost three quarters (73.4%) of the population will run the risk of being affected by a natural disaster. Regarding the lifestyle developments, 52% of consumption and 66% of work will be done remotely (using computers), while consumption for enriching people’s lives will increase by 15%—an increase indicating a changing value assessment in favor of hobbies and other private interests as well as social participation (JAMA, 2022, p. 4).
 
9
From the 42nd Tokyo Motor Show (2011) to the 44th Motor Show (2015) the topic was “Smart Mobility City”. At the Motor Shows in 2017 and 2019, the topic was extended beyond city mobility. Finally, the 2023 Motor Show, the first in four years because of the COVID-19 pandemic, was renamed the Japan Mobility Show.
 
10
Toyota is even considering acting as an intermediate between sellers and buyers of used Toyota cars by applying FinTechs SYNQA blockchain technology (in which Toyota holds a share) and Toyota Wallet, the firms “super-application” for the future mobility society (FOURIN, 2021, p. 8).
 
11
For instance, the Toyota I-real, presented at the 2007 Tokyo motor show, was later used at the Chubu Nagoya airport (TOYOTA, 2009). Or the I-road, a two-seater cabin three-wheeler, was first presented at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show, before being tested under everyday conditions in Tokyo and finally used in the “Ha:mo” mobility test project in Toyoda City (TOYOTA, 2019).
 
12
Three-phase classification adopted from Tsuchiya, Y., & Ikeya, T., 2011, p. 2–4.
 
13
According to estimates, a maximum of 800 to 2,500 of the initially planned 200,000 vehicles were dispersed (Tsuchiya & Ikeya, 2011, pp. 2–3).
 
14
These three programs were the “ITS/EV Dwelling Area Second Car System” in Inagi City, Tokyo Metropolitan Region, the “ITS/EV City-car” in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, and the “ITS Model Real Test Neighborhood IN Toyoda”, Toyoda City, Aichi Prefecture.
 
15
Fuel-efficiency standards are calculated based on the car’s weight and the impact of technical improvement on the car’s fuel efficiency. A special mathematical formula is applied. Manufacturers are obliged to meet these standards at a fixed time in the future, usually ten years after the standards have been announced. Depending on the degree to which future efficiency standards are met or exceeded, tax exemptions or reductions are given to new car buyers of conventional cars, while buyers of next generation cars generally enjoy tax exemption from the weight related tonnage-tax (See also Bungsche, 2023, pp. 66–68).
 
16
Before the introduction of the national purchase incentive scheme, accessibility to and levels of subsidies for buyers of BEVs and FCEVs often differed considerably from prefecture to prefecture. The national subsidy scheme was not restricted to BEVs and FCEVs, but also PHEVs and initially also clean diesel cars. However, payments for clean diesel cars were discontinued from April 2023.
 
17
Of the 91,000 BEVs, 47,000 were Kei-BEVs, taking a share of 3.5% in the Kei-car market (Momota, 2024).
 
18
In 2021, Toyota announced that it would develop a hydrogen engine based on one it had engineered for racing sports (TOYOTA, 2021).
 
19
Set up in 2002, the IMV project team developed five car models based on a common platform, aimed particularly at the ASEAN market. Production began in 2004, first at the Toyota plants in Thailand and Indonesia. Although the IMV cars are not low-cost vehicles (LCV), these cars are among the most successful Toyota ever produced, with sales exceeding 7 million within the first 10 years (Nomura, 2015, p. 90).
 
20
For three years up until 2000, the first generation of the Prius was only sold in Japan at selected Toyota dealerships capable of servicing the hybrid power unit.
 
21
Between 1997 and February 2022, of the 20 million hybrid or plug-in-hybrid cars Toyota sold worldwide, almost half were sold in Japan (8 million), by far exceeding sales in the much larger markets of North America (5 million), Europe (4 million), and China (1.7 million) (Nikkan Jidousha HP, 2022).
 
Literature
Bungsche, H. (2023). ‘‘2022—The first year of the EV era in Japan?” The COVID crisis and its impact on the Japanese automobile industry. International Journal of Automotive Technology and Management, 23(1), 60–79.CrossRef
FOURIN. (2021). Toyota no 2030 nen mobiriti kakumei [Toyota’s 2030 mobility revolution]. FOURIN.
Nihon Jidousha Kaigisho—Automobile Business Association of Japan (ABA) (yearly publication). Nihon Jidousha Nenkan—Automotive Yearbook of Japan ABA and Daily Auto News Japan, Tokyo
Nikkan Jidousha. (2022, March 31). Toyota, dendousha no seikai ruikei hanbai daisuu 2022 nen 2 gatsu matsu de 2000 mandai toppa　saita “Prius” 577 mandai. [Toyota’s cumulative global sales of electrified vehicles exceed 20 million at the end of February 2022. Most sold “Prius” with 5.77 million]. Nikkan Jidousha denshiban. https://​www.​netdenjd.​com/​articles/​-/​265021
Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun (2024, April 15). 2 nen renzoku 3 man daichou. Nissan “Sakura” no hyouka pointo [Over 30000 units for the second year in a row. The assessment points of the Nissan “Sakura”]. Newswitch, Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun. https://​newswitch.​jp/​p/​41219
Nomura, T. (2015). Toyota no shinkyoukokusha IMV. Sono inobeeshon senryaku to soshiki [The IMV, Toyota’s car for newly developing countries. Its innovation strategy and organization]. Bunshindou.
TOYOTA. (2009, June 18). Centrea no okyaku-sama muke saabisu ni Toyota “i-REAL” wo donyuu! Kuukounai no keibi-annai gyomu ni katsuyou [Toyota “i-REAL” introduced for customer service at Centerair! Will be used for security and information services in the airport]. Toyota Motor Corporation. https://​global.​toyota/​jp/​detail/​1752603
TOYOTA (2019, October 9). Toyota Jidousha, Autono-MaaS senyou EV “e-Palette” (Toukyou 2020 orinpikku・pararinkikku shiyou)” no shousai wo kouhyou [Toyota Motor Corporation releases details of the special Autono-MaaS EV “e-Palette” (Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games specification)]. Toyota Motor Corporation. https://​global.​toyota/​jp/​newsroom/​corporate/​29933339.​html
Tsuchiya, Y., & Ikeya, T. (2011). Denki jidousha fukyuu no genjou to kongo [The actual state and future prospects of electric vehicles’ dissemination]. Jamagazine 45 August, 2–8.
Metadata
Title
From Automobile Industry to Mobility Industry? New Mobility Concepts and Policies in Japan
Author
Holger Bungsche
Copyright Year
2025
Book
Global Shifts in the Automotive Sector

Print ISBN: 978-3-031-80640-7

Electronic ISBN: 978-3-031-80641-4

Copyright Year: 2025

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-80641-4_12

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