Skip to main content

Asia Pacific dignitaries to see connected vehicle showcases at ITS World Congress

ITS Japan will use advances in the country’s ITS capabilities since it last hosted the event in 2004 as the basis of several showcases and sessions the forthcoming World Congress (Tokyo 14 – 18 October), the association’s president Hajime Amano told ITS International.
June 14, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
ITS Japan's president Hajime Amano
%$Linker: 2 Internal <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 4 9782 0 oLinkInternal <span class="oLinkInternal"><span class="oLinkInternal">RSS</span></span> Events (Diary) false /rss/events/ true false%>556 ITS Japan will use advances in the country’s ITS capabilities since it last hosted the event in 2004 as the basis of several showcases and sessions the forthcoming World Congress (Tokyo 14 – 18 October), the association’s president Hajime Amano told ITS International.

Two years ago Japan deployed a connected vehicle infrastructure and is in the second phase of testing connected vehicle systems and these will form the basis for a number of showcases and sessions. One idea heading for a trial is differentiated tolling by route rather than simply on distance and will reference the start and end point of the journey and apply a lower charge for drivers selecting a longer but less congested route.

“Simply charging by distance means people will tend to take the shortest route even if it is the most congested,” Amano said.

The country’s drivers are quick to adopt ITS technology and 90% of vehicles travelling on Japan’s toll roads are fitted with electronic tolling while half of all vehicles have satnav with live traffic overlays.

The Congress will cover a range of automated and connected vehicle technologies such as driver assistance systems and include demonstrations and discussions with vehicle manufacturers. “Here in Japan we have major concerns about the mobility of our rapidly ageing population and we are looking for systems tailored to the needs of elderly drivers,” he said, adding that ageing drivers is a world-wide problem.  

Another area that will be explored at length is ‘Big Data’ with a look at the opportunities it offers in terms of personal mobility and policy performance measurement. Presenters from both the public and private sectors are expected.  

A large number of delegates are expected from the wider Asia Pacific region including a number of ministers, vice ministers and high ranking public officials. Traffic problems in these regions are well known both in terms of congestion and road traffic casualties. “These countries are willing to invest in infrastructure so Congress represents a good opportunity for commercial companies,” suggests Amano.  

Speakers and sessions are still being confirmed and regular updates are being posted on %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 oLinkExternal www.itsworldcongress.jp www.itsworldcongress.jp false http://www.itsworldcongress.jp/ false false%>

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Denso to open automated vehicle technology centre in Tokyo
    November 1, 2018
    Denso is to open a facility at Haneda Airport in Tokyo in June 2020 to develop and test automated driving technologies. The company says the site will feature a building and proving ground for mobility systems research and development. It will also develop automated driving technology researched at its global R&D facility in Tokyo which opened in April. This office was developed to promote collaboration with Denso’s development partners which include automakers, universities, research institutes
  • Cream of the crop in contention for Innovation Award
    March 21, 2014
    Smart and innovative thinking is again about to be awarded here at Intertraffic Amsterdam, the world’s largest and best attended trade fair for the infrastructure, ITS traffic management, safety, parking, and smart mobility sectors. A total of 15 products have won through to the shortlist for the most innovative exhibits at the event. The official opening of Intertraffic Amsterdam 2014 takes place this morning from 08.30 to 09.30 at the Innovation Lab in the Elicium room where the winners of the Intertraffi
  • Vehicle and Road Automation website launched
    February 18, 2014
    In order to promote the exchange of information and research on vehicle and road automation activities in Europe and beyond, the Vehicle and Road Automation (VRA) project has launched its website, together with other online tools to promote and expand the VRA community: The VRA wiki, www.vra-net.eu/wiki, is a user-edited shared resource for road vehicle automation activities around the world, containing details on around forty projects, with an abstract, contact point, website, sponsor, budget/funding an
  • ITF leads the global debate on connectivity
    April 30, 2012
    Political decision-makers, industry leaders, transport experts, and top thinkers from around the world, will debate how to create more seamless transport solutions for passengers and freight at the 2012 Summit of the International Transport Forum. The summit on “Seamless Transport: Making Connections” will take place May 2-4 in Leipzig, Germany, and aims to drive the international debate on better connectivity. The event will be held under the Presidency of Japan. The International Transport Forum at the OE