Chiba Prefecture and Narita International Airport Corp. on December 15th launched a demonstration experiment aimed at realizing an automated logistics road, assuming full unmanned operation equivalent to Level 4 autonomy.
The trial involves autonomous driving of three types of freight transport vehicles on land adjacent to roads currently in service, to verify driving performance, communications stability and other factors under real-world road conditions. Participants include construction companies Obayashi Corp. and Taisei Corp., among others. The demonstration period is scheduled to run through the end of the current fiscal year ending March 2026.
An autonomous logistics vehicle takes part in a road trial launched by Chiba Prefecture and Narita Airport.
The project has been selected under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism’s project for Autoflow Logistics Roads. It is intended to lead to the development of automated logistics roads originating from cargo facilities, thereby improving efficiency and sophistication in Narita Airport’s logistics operations.
The experiment was conducted on roads within the airport and outside including a tunnel. The transport equipment used comprised three categories: an automated cart type; autonomous driving vehicles; and towing-type vehicles. Following the trial, airport officials commented on the timing of deployment, stating, "There is no target year set, but we would like to proceed with what can be introduced first."
Prior to the demonstration, Chiba Prefecture and its partners held a kickoff ceremony at Narita International Airport Corp.’s headquarters. Governor of Chiba Prefecture Toshihito Kumagai expressed hopes that "the area surrounding the airport will become a leading case of logistics innovation to be showcased not only domestically but globally," adding that he hoped the initiative would represent "a major step toward creating the future." President Naoki Fujii of the airport company described the effort as "a highly ambitious undertaking" and signaled his commitment to cooperation with an eye toward long-term outcomes.