Green Roads Webinar Series: Decarbonizing Freight Transport in Japan & Autoflow Road

Freight trucks account for nearly 40% of Japan's transport emissions, and a looming driver shortage could leave a third of freight demand unmovable by 2030. How can a heavily road-dependent freight system actually decarbonize? In Episode 34 of the Green Roads Webinar Series, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) examines how Japan is working to cut freight emissions through smarter policy, intermodal networks, and a new automated road-freight concept. This session combines national-scale modeling with a forward look at how highways themselves could be redesigned to move goods. Road freight dominates Japan's transport emissions, while rail and coastal shipping carry only a small share of tonne-kilometers. Shifting freight to lower-carbon modes is difficult: rail networks are shrinking, waterway operators are small and undercapitalized, and trucks remain cheaper and more flexible. Layered on top is Japan's "2024 problem" — new limits on driver working hours that could leave capacity well short of demand by 2030. This session shows why no single lever is enough and how policy and technology must work together. Professor Shinya Hanaoka (Institute of Science Tokyo) shares insights on: A national-scale intermodal network model covering road, rail, and waterway freight; Policy scenarios testing shipper awareness, carbon pricing, and roll-on/roll-off shipping subsidies; Why modal shift alone cannot decarbonize freight, and where electric trucks fit in; The Autoflow Road vision: unmanned, clean-energy freight units running in dedicated highway lanes; and Lessons for developing member countries designing freight decarbonization policy. ADB's Green Roads Webinar Series brings together global experts to advance climate-resilient road design, sustainable transport infrastructure, and low-carbon construction practices across developing member countries. 📂 Access this presentation and previous webinar materials: https://events.development.asia/learn... #GreenRoads #SustainableTransport #Decarbonization #FreightTransport #ADB