Trucking companies should be encouraged to acquire and implement on-board communications that is tied to container terminal EDI systems to improve efficiency of truck operations and provide better customer service. The judiciary branch of the government should review and revise the bill of lading law to be consistent with general international practice to allow one though bill of lading to accompany shipments from foreign origin to destinations in Japan's hinterlands.
Japan would like to see one of their ports become a transportation hub for the Eastern Pacific region and is interested in developing one of its container ports into become a hub port with important transshipment activity. Overseas, Kaohsiung, Ningbo, Pusan, and Yantian, are all candidates for being future hub ports. Kaohsiung has good reputation as a mainline port of call and relay hub. Pusan has done well too. Hong Kong is also working hard to continue its role, as a leading relay hub, however Yantian Port in the South Pearl River Delta threatens to dilute Hong Kong's traffic. It is being constructed on the mainland as an international transshipment deep-water port with railroad and air-express services to provide a true intermodal logistics facility. Japan looks to its future role as a leader in Asia's fast developing regional economy and intends to participate heavily in the economic growth and traffic growth that is projected to take place. To do so, it needs to consider a system wide approach in developing a hub port. It needs to consider passengers, airfreight, and express freight in addition to sea cargo and as well as container freight. Japan would like to see their gateway ports competitive with other ports in the region. However, foreign and local marine carriers are not likely to choose a Japanese port as a Hub of operation unless Japan can establish efficient user-friendly terminal operations that accommodate all transport modes. While container terminals in Hong Kong and Singapore handle far more containers than terminals in Japan, this, to a great extent is due to their planning efforts to become hub ports and great transshipment centers. Japan must put forth a similar effort if it is to create a hub port that will increase throughput and revenues from increased marine traffic. Japanese ports usually have potent hinterlands but they need to compete with other countries for their transshipment business. In doing so it will enable them to connect with newly emerging trade flows in this new era of global exchange. Improving the competitive position of its gateway ports should increase the frequency and capacity of more vessel calls at Japan ports and should increase the competitiveness of Japan's importers and exporters by providing greater opportunity in emerging global markets. This type of activity could help to compensate for the import and export volumes lost from Japan as a result of the Kobe earthquake and manufacturing shifts from Japan to other locations respectively.
Summary
The institutional arrangements in the container terminals considered most important for change at the local level include terminal infrastructure and superstructure financing; negotiated leasing of container terminals over a long period with a “win-win” type of agreement; the use of new information technologies to make terminals more user friendly; and improved landside access and intermodal facilities. The services that a port provides for its region are in many respects, a public good. Any new type of institutional arrangement should reflect the socio-economic needs of both the port region and the nation as a whole.
In summary, the current structure of the provision of port services should be modified to encourage healthy competition while keeping the public interest in mind. More flexible arrangements for lessees of terminals should be introduced. There should be a move towards transparency, equity and rapidity of operation. And if Japan's container ports are to compete with other Asian ports for transshipment there needs to be a serious effort taken in collaboration with government authorities, terminal operators, labor, and marine carriers to come up with a permanent and comprehensive seven-day-work schedule at major ports.13 The above recommendations, if adopted and implemented by Japan's relevant ministries, would help to improve the country's competitive position as well as that of its ports. In the past, Kobe was a significant transshipment port in Asia. Japan has a superior position as a gateway to and from Asia. There is no reason that one of Japan's ports cannot regain what was temporarily lost in transshipment activity, but it will take a concerted effort and clear understanding of the cost comparisons that port users will certainly make.14
