Japan Has a Trucker Shortage. Its Solution Is Novel

If it works, expect other major cities around the world to copy the idea to some degree: Japan is building what amounts to a giant "conveyor belt road" from Tokyo to Osaka to ship cargo, reports the Guardian. Details:

• 320 miles: The transport corridor would run 320 miles from the capital to Osaka aboveground, in the middle of a highway, per the AP. Meaning, cars would be traveling on either side of it. The corridor would ship containers the size of a standard closet, filled with goods. See this Japanese-language video.
• When: The first test runs are scheduled to start in 2027. If all goes well, the experiment would be expanded to other cities.

• Why: In a word, demographics. Japan has an "intense" shortage of truckers, per Business Insider, and that is only expected to worsen as the nation's working-age population gets older. This comes as online orders for everything under the sun continue to soar. "We need to be innovative with the way we approach roads," says Yuri Endo of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism. The project should also cut carbon emissions, he adds.
• Elsewhere: Japan isn't the only nation planning such a project, notes Fast Company, which details potential conveyor belt roads for cargo in Switzerland, China, and the Netherlands. One difference is that these would be underground.
• One view: "If you think about it, it makes sense," writes Kyle Phillippi at Vice. "Automation speeds everything up, right? Factor in the lack of traffic and typical slowdowns that drivers encounter, and it's no wonder the country is aiming to use this plan as its solution." Expect Amazon to be watching closely.

(More Japan stories.)