Tokyo-based logistics company Nippon Express has announced plans to increase the number of trailers carrying both Japanese and Korean license plates from four to eight in April. Based on a bilateral agreement reached in July 2012, a trial of this so-called “double number” system, which allows cargo-laden trucks to drive freely in both countries without reloading at ferry ports, began last March. The trial is limited to trucks carrying car parts between Korea’s Pusan and Nissan Motor Kyushu’s plant in Kanda Town, but it has proven effective in reducing shipping times and costs. Nippon Express plans to add more “double number” trucks given the increase in the number of Korean components Nissan is using to in the production of its new X-Trail SUV. In the future, the Japanese government wants to expand the system to include China, thereby improving the efficiency of logistics in East Asia. Source: Nishinippon Shimbun 1/6
