On September 26, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism announced that, in cooperation with the Japan Fair Trade Commission, it will conduct a joint nationwide patrol of shippers from October 28 to 29.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has designated October and November as "Intensive Monitoring Months" and will strengthen its monitoring of shippers and prime contractors who are engaging in activities that may hinder fair trade.
During this intensive monitoring month, truck and logistics inspectors from all regional transport bureaus across the country will gather in Tokyo, where there are many shippers' headquarters and consignees. They will be divided into multiple teams to conduct joint patrols with the Japan Fair Trade Commission and shippers.
During patrols, we will visit shippers individually. We will also conduct interviews with truck drivers at highway service areas and parking areas, and actively engage in awareness-raising activities regarding the revised Logistics Act and the Receiving and Disposal Act, which will come into effect in January next year, with the aim of preventing violations by shippers and others.
Established in July 2023, "Truck G-Men" was reorganized in November 2024 as "Truck & Logistics G-Men" to promote fair trade practices throughout the logistics industry. The organization has expanded to a total of 360 people, including staff from the logistics department and "G-Men investigators" from truck associations in each prefecture.
In addition, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism plans to further strengthen the monitoring system for shippers and other parties by truck and logistics G-men by establishing a new external team (outsourced) called the "G-Men Assistant Secretariat" to investigate and analyze information obtained through G-Men activities and to provide comprehensive support for G-Men activities. At the same time, reporting hotlines for warehouse operators, which were previously only available at the Ministry headquarters and the Japan Warehouse Association, will also be established at regional transport bureaus.
The departure ceremony for this large-scale joint shipper patrol will be held on October 28th at the Central Government Building No. 2 in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo.
During last year's intensive monitoring month (November and December), the Trucking & Logistics Inspectors issued corrective guidance in 2 cases of "recommendations," 7 cases of "requests," and 423 cases of "initiatives."
