Cross-industry Round-trip Matching Transport Utilizing Railways for "Paper" and "Automobiles" Wins "Modal Shift Award" at the 1st Japan Logistics Awards

Hokuetsu Corporation Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd. Hokuetsu Logistics Co., Ltd. NIPPON EXPRESS HOLDINGS, INC. Japan Freight Railway Company

Hokuetsu Corporation (Niigata City, Niigata Prefecture, President, Chairman & Group CEO: Tetsuo Kishimoto, hereinafter "Hokuetsu Corporation"), Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd. (Ikeda City, Osaka Prefecture, President: Masahiro Inoue, hereinafter "Daihatsu"), Hokuetsu Logistics Co., Ltd. (Niigata City, Niigata Prefecture, President: Yuji Maruyama), a group company of Hokuetsu Corporation, Nippon Express Co., Ltd. (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, President: Shinjiro Takebayashi, hereinafter "Nippon Express"), a group company of NIPPON EXPRESS HOLDINGS, INC. (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, President: Hitoshi Horikiri), and Japan Freight Railway Company (Minato-ku, Tokyo, President & CEO: Shin Inukai, hereinafter "JR Freight") have received the "Modal Shift Award," a divisional award, at the "1st Japan Logistics Awards" hosted by the Japan Association for Logistics and Transport.

Award recipients at the "1st Japan Logistics Awards" ceremony (June 29, 2026) *From left: Hiroyuki Sato, General Manager of Logistics Operations Dept., Hokuetsu Logistics; Nobuhide Matsuura, General Manager of Logistics Dept., Daihatsu;

*From left: Hiroyuki Sato, General Manager of Logistics Operations Dept., Hokuetsu Logistics; Nobuhide Matsuura, General Manager of Logistics Dept., Daihatsu; Hitoshi Nagasawa, Chairman, Japan Association for Logistics and Transport; Koichi Nagahara, General Manager of Product Logistics Dept., Hokuetsu Corporation; Osamu Sasaki, Executive Officer (in charge of Mobility Sales Dept.), Nippon Express; Yasuhide Mugitani, Executive Officer, General Manager of Sales Dept., JR Freight

1. Award Details

A transport scheme for loading Daihatsu's small automobiles was established on the return empty container transport section, from Kyoto-Soto Station (Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture) to Yashima Station (Niigata City, Niigata Prefecture), which was a challenge for Hokuetsu Corporation. In cooperation with Hokuetsu Logistics, Nippon Express, and JR Freight, cross-industry round-trip matching transport commenced in February 2025. This initiative was highly evaluated for contributing to the realization of sustainable logistics through improved logistics efficiency by eliminating empty container repositioning and reduced environmental impact through CO2 emission reduction, by fostering collaboration in the logistics sector between two companies from different industries, leading to this award.

Hokuetsu Corporation, Daihatsu, Hokuetsu Logistics, Nippon Express, and JR Freight will continue to contribute to decarbonization in logistics and the realization of a sustainable society by working on the effective utilization of logistics resources and the establishment of efficient systems held by each company.

*Past Press Release (March 13, 2025)

Regarding the Start of Cross-Industry Round-trip Matching Transport for Paper and Automobiles Utilizing Railways ~Establishing an Efficient and Sustainable Transport System Through Cross-Industry Collaboration~

https://www.jrfreight.co.jp/info/2025/files/20250313_01.pdf

2. About the Japan Logistics Awards

*Recipients of the "1st Japan Logistics Awards"

(Press Release from the Japan Association for Logistics and Transport, June 5, 2026)

https://www.butsuryu.or.jp/20260605.pdf