Tuesday, May 30, 2017, 15:00 - 16:00
"Uber, ride sharing and the taxi industry in Japan"
Language: The speech and Q & A will be in Japanese with English interpretation
One of the most profound social developments of recent years is the rise of the 'sharing economy', exemplified by apps such as Airbnb and Uber, the taxi hailing service. These apps, which promise to let anyone become a taxi driver or let out their spare room as a B&B, have created vast wealth for their backers but have also proven highly disruptive to existing industries, raising deep questions about regulation, competition policy and employment law.
Although slower to catch on, these services are now advancing in Japan, with the active support of the Abe administration which sees them as a fresh source of productivity and economic growth. At the same time, the hotel and taxi industries they affect are undergoing other profound changes, such as the growth of inbound tourism and labour shortages caused by an aging workforce.
Our speaker today is on the frontline of this change. Ichiro Kawanabe is the third generation of his family to lead Nihon Kotsu, the largest taxi company in Tokyo and Japan. A graduate of Keio and Northwestern universities, then a consultant at McKinsey, he will share his views on how Japan should approach the sharing economy and how the local taxi industry should respond.
It will also be an opportunity to ask his opinion on other big issues affecting the industry, such as the recent change in the pricing structure for Tokyo taxis, which has seen a lowering of the base fare.
Please reserve in advance, 3211-3161 or on the website (still & TV cameras inclusive). Reservations and cancellations are not complete without confirmation.
Professional Activities Committee
