[Reading Logistics] Proper freight rates remain out of sight, yet investment continues—The logistics industry moving on two time axes

Logistics News Summary

Despite the fact that negotiations for the rationalization of truck freight rates remain in a fog where 'no one knows when they will be resolved,' both logistics companies and shippers are steadily moving forward with overseas expansion, automation investment, and M&A. While the 'negotiation table' is at a standstill, the 'investment field' continues to run—this is the primary point of contention running through today's news.

1. Freight rate negotiations remain difficult—'Proper costs' remain invisible

According to an article in Logistics Weekly [1], Director-General Ishihara of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's Logistics and Motor Transport Bureau avoided a clear answer in late May regarding when the 'proper cost' for truck freight rates would be announced, stating, 'There is no set time yet.' While spot freight rates are rising as they easily reflect market conditions, freight rate negotiations in private contracts with shippers remain difficult. The article introduces the raw voices of trucking company executives: 'Manufacturers and trading companies raise prices quickly, and they don't get a stingy reaction to that. However, trucking companies' requests for freight rate increases are often met with reluctance.' This asymmetry is the structural distortion that the logistics industry has been carrying for many years.
Since the 2024 problem, institutional support such as the raising of standard freight rates and the strengthening of the shipper recommendation system has steadily progressed. However, as long as an objective yardstick like 'proper cost' is not officially presented, on-site price negotiations will continue to depend on 'sentiment' and 'power dynamics.' Even if the government issues a call to action, the practical work of price pass-through can only proceed through the accumulation of individual business negotiations—this is the reality in mid-2026.

2. Facility reorganization and M&A—Optimization of scale and networks accelerates

Tonami Transport and JP Logistics have jointly opened the 'New Yokohama Office' in Kanazawa Ward, Yokohama City [2]. It is a complex facility aimed at mutual supplementation of the special loading business and the logistics business, and it is interesting that the two companies realized a facility of a scale that would be difficult to recover investment for on its own. In an environment where freight rate negotiations are difficult, 'cost sharing through collaboration' is becoming a more realistic solution than individual facility investment.
In the shipping sector, Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK Line) has completed the acquisition of Saga Welco, a Norwegian open-hatch vessel business company, as a wholly owned subsidiary. The in-house production of specialized vessels for bulk transport is seen as an aim to increase procurement stability in the global supply chain for resources and materials. Meanwhile, Meiji Holdings announced that it would transfer its dairy and BtoB business in China to Shanghai Aoya Food for 7.6 billion yen. The selection of business portfolios in the Chinese market is progressing, which is an important signal for logistics companies suggesting the possibility that 'logistics contracts themselves will be reorganized in line with the overseas business restructuring of shippers.'

3. Investment rush to Southeast Asia—Entering the implementation phase of 'China Plus One'

What stands out in today's news is the concentration of logistics facility investment in Southeast Asia. Yasuda Logistics has begun construction of a new warehouse at the MM2100 Industrial Town in Bekasi Regency, Indonesia. Konoike Transport Group's Anpha-AG has started operations at a room-temperature and refrigerated warehouse in Tay Ninh Province, southern Vietnam. Furthermore, the Indonesian government has announced a policy to develop up to 50 bioethanol plants in the country.
These appear to be individual investment decisions, but when viewed from a bird's-eye view, they indicate that the 'China Plus One' strategy is shifting from the planning stage to the implementation stage. It is not merely a dispersion of production bases, but the fact that investment in temperature-controlled warehouses handling food and food ingredients is conspicuous, which tells us that the maturation of the Southeast Asian market as a consumption area is also progressing simultaneously. For Japanese logistics companies, Southeast Asia is no longer a 'backup for China,' but its positioning is changing to that of an independent growth market.

4. Domestic facility development—Diversification of frozen/refrigerated, bonded, and regional bases

Domestically, Daito Trust Construction and Osaka Gas Urban Development announced that they will jointly develop a frozen and refrigerated logistics facility in Nishinomiya City, Hyogo Prefecture. The location between Osaka and Kobe is intended for same-day delivery support. CBRE will hold a joint preview of logistics facilities in the Kanegasaki/Kitakami area of Iwate Prefecture in August. Marubeni Logistics obtained permission for a bonded warehouse at the 'Kashiwa East Logistics Center' in Kashiwa City, Chiba Prefecture, and established a system that can complete everything from bonded storage of imported food to customs clearance, inspection, and domestic BtoB/BtoC shipping at a single location.
What they have in common is the keyword 'consolidation of functions.' By integrating multiple functions such as customs clearance, inspection, sorting, and temperature management into a single location rather than just a storage facility, they are trying to achieve both shorter lead times and cost reductions for shippers.

5. DX and automation investment—From on-site labor saving to contract management

On the technical side, Mitsubishi Shokuhin has fully launched a high-speed picking system and an automated warehouse for the frozen area at its FSDC (Food Service Distribution Center) in Soka City, Saitama Prefecture, in collaboration with IHI Logistics & Machinery and Exotec Nihon [6][16]. T2, which is developing autonomous trucks, has raised approximately 5 billion yen from 11 companies including MOL CVC and Sumitomo Warehouse, bringing the cumulative total raised to over 16.5 billion yen. The financial tailwind for achieving Level 4 is strengthening.
Sumitomo Warehouse has started offering 'CONTRIO,' which centrally manages paper contracts and electronic contracts. Although it may seem plain, the digitization of contract management in the warehousing industry will likely become a standard feature in the future from the perspective of audit compliance and BCP. In the publishing industry, PubteX is collaborating with Kodansha, Shueisha, and Shogakukan to expand the scope of RFID tag attachment to all books, not just comics. Mitsui Fudosan, NTT East, and NAVER Cloud have started an in-building delivery service using delivery robots equipped with physical AI at Tokyo Midtown Yaesu. JR Freight opened a 'transshipment station' at Koshigaya Freight Terminal Station to transfer cargo between trucks and railway containers, expanding the capacity for modal shift. In Singapore, the return logistics platform Recustomer and Traxlogis have started an API linkage, and the automation of cross-border e-commerce return processing is progressing [20].
Taken together, it can be seen that automation investment is seeping into every process of the logistics value chain, from 'in-warehouse operations' to 'contract management,' 'tag management,' 'delivery robots,' and 'return processing.'

6. Berth reservation and human resource development—Moves to resolve on-site 'clogs'

Logistics Weekly introduces a case where Hacobu's berth reservation system 'Truck Book' is contributing to the optimization of both shippers and trucking companies. With legal amendments requiring shippers to grasp and improve driver waiting and loading/unloading times, the introduction of a berth reservation system is becoming a prerequisite rather than an option. In addition, the series of articles for trucking business owners on commission design and evaluation system design deals with the plain but essential theme of how to adapt internal personnel systems to the Reiwa era in parallel with freight rate negotiations.

Actions that shippers should take

【Priority: Highest / Difficulty: Low to Medium / Effect: Large】

Create a mechanism for freight rate negotiations based on 'cost' rather than 'sentiment' within your company first

The stance of waiting for the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's proper cost announcement is now a risk. Since it is unknown when the announcement will be made, shippers should visualize the cost structure of logistics companies (fuel costs, labor costs, vehicle depreciation, waiting time costs) themselves and incorporate them into their internal procurement standards. Specifically, create a cost table based on 'standard freight rate + fuel surcharge + waiting fee' for each major contractor and institutionalize an annual review. This does not require special system investment and can be started today with Excel operations in the purchasing and logistics departments. As the article points out, the stagnation of freight rate negotiations is mainly due to the 'stingy reaction' on the shipper's side, and conversely, if the shipper moves first, they can gain a negotiation advantage.

【Priority: High / Difficulty: Medium / Effect: Large】

Quantify waiting time by introducing a berth reservation system

Reservation systems like Hacobu's 'Truck Book' are not merely tools for improving convenience, but serve as actual evidence of legal compliance following the 2024 problem. Recording and improving waiting and loading/unloading times will directly impact a shipper's selection of logistics subsidiaries and whether they continue business with transport companies. A realistic first step is to conduct a pilot implementation at one or two of your own logistics hubs with high shipping volumes, accumulate three months of actual waiting time data, and then utilize it as material for freight rate negotiations with transport companies.

[Priority: Medium / Difficulty: Medium / Effect: Medium to Large]

Compressing lead times and costs simultaneously by utilizing multi-functional hubs with temperature control and bonded functions

Logistics facilities that consolidate multiple functions into a single site are increasing, such as the frozen/refrigerated facilities of Daito Trust Construction x Osaka Gas Urban Development and the bonded integrated hub of Marubeni Logistics. Shippers handling imported food or temperature-controlled goods have room to redesign functions like customs clearance, inspection, storage, and shipping—which they previously dispersed across multiple sites—by consolidating them into such multi-functional hubs. Since site integration involves transition costs, the difficulty is medium, but the effects of shortening lead times and reducing operational costs are significant.

[Priority: Medium / Difficulty: Low / Effect: Medium]

Reviewing the selection of logistics companies in Southeast Asia based on whether 'temperature zones and functions match your products' rather than just 'whether they have a base'

The hub functions of logistics companies expanding into Southeast Asia are rapidly becoming more sophisticated, such as Yasuda Logistics' new warehouse in Indonesia and Konoike Transport's ambient and refrigerated warehouses in Vietnam. For shippers already operating in Southeast Asia, this is a prime opportunity to update the hub functions of existing contractors and consider switching to hubs better suited to their own products (especially food and cold-chain items).

[Priority: Low to Medium / Difficulty: Low / Effect: Medium]

Encouraging contractors to digitize contract management

Services like Sumitomo Warehouse's CONTRIO also reduce the burden on shippers regarding missed contract renewals and audit responses. Shippers who have many contracts with major warehouse companies should consider adding the status of such digital contract management to their criteria for selecting contractors.

Actions that logistics companies should take

[Priority: Highest / Difficulty: Medium / Effect: Large]

Switching freight rate negotiations from 'requests for price increases' to 'presentation of cost evidence'

As the voices of transport company executives in article [3] indicate, the negotiation style of repeating 'once-in-a-lifetime requests' has reached its limit. Rather than waiting for the government's notification on appropriate costs, you should immediately establish a system to create 'cost evidence materials' that graph the trends in your company's fuel costs, labor costs, vehicle depreciation, and insurance premiums, and present them quantitatively when requesting price increases. This requires almost no additional investment and can be achieved simply by organizing data in the accounting and general affairs departments. The effect will surely manifest in the form of improved persuasiveness in negotiations.

[Priority: High / Difficulty: Medium to High / Effect: Large]

Realizing hubs that are difficult to invest in alone through 'collaboration'

The Tonami Transport and JP Logistics Shin-Yokohama office is a model case where two companies jointly realized a multi-functional facility. For mid-sized and local logistics companies, even hubs of a scale where return on investment cannot be expected independently can become feasible through joint investment with other companies in the same or different industries. In particular, collaboration between companies with complementary functions, such as special consolidated cargo businesses and logistics businesses, leads directly to strengthening proposals to shippers. It is realistic to start by exchanging information with competitors in the same industry whose functions do not overlap in the neighboring area.

[Priority: High / Difficulty: Medium / Effect: Large to Extra Large]

Viewing automation investment not just as 'labor saving' but as a weapon for 'strengthening proposal capabilities'

Large-scale automation examples like Mitsubishi Shokuhin's Soka FSDC are unique to major companies, but they also offer significant implications for mid-sized logistics companies. Investment in high-speed picking and automated warehouses serves not only as a countermeasure to labor shortages but also as a sales weapon for 'labor-saving proposals' and 'BCP proposals' to shippers. If large-scale investment on your own is difficult, another option is to keep a close eye on cross-industry technological trends, such as T2's autonomous driving level 4 development, and explore future opportunities for collaboration or investment. While capital investment is high in both difficulty and cost, the long-term effect of gaining trust from shippers is significant.

[Priority: Medium / Difficulty: Low to Medium / Effect: Medium]

Differentiating through specialization in temperature-controlled management and bonded functions

As seen in Marubeni Logistics' integrated bonded handling and Konoike Transport's three-temperature-zone logistics hubs, the demand for imported food and temperature-controlled management continues to expand. For mid-sized logistics companies aiming to break away from general warehousing, obtaining bonded warehouse permits and investing in temperature-controlled facilities are effective differentiation strategies to escape price competition. Obtaining permits is primarily an administrative process, making it less difficult to initiate compared to capital investment in facilities.

[Priority: Medium / Difficulty: Low / Effect: Medium]

Revamping personnel and evaluation systems in parallel with freight rate negotiations

The commission design and evaluation systems covered in Logistics Weekly's series are about designing the 'exit'—how to return the increased revenue gained from freight rate negotiations to drivers and on-site employees. Even if freight rates are raised, if it is not returned to the talent, turnover will not stop. It is recommended to begin reviewing evaluation systems and commission designs in parallel with freight rate negotiations.

[Priority: Low / Difficulty: Low / Effect: Medium]

Evaluating overseas expansion not as 'market entry' but as 'functional sophistication'

As the cases of Konoike Transport and Yasuda Logistics show, expansion into Southeast Asia is no longer just for early movers. Logistics companies that already have bases can strengthen their proposal capabilities to both local shippers and Japanese companies entering the market by directing their investment capacity toward the sophistication of local base functions, such as temperature-controlled management and bonded functions.

Summary

What is important for logistics companies is not to wait for the 'regulatory tailwind' of the announcement of fair costs, but to visualize their own cost structures and bring concrete figures to the negotiation table. What is important for logistics companies is to shift their negotiation style from 'requesting' price increases to 'presenting evidence,' while simultaneously escaping price competition through investments in automation, base consolidation, and specialized functions. As today's news indicates, the 'regulatory time axis' of freight rate negotiations is progressing slowly, but the 'business time axis' of base investment and automation will not wait. I believe the gap between the two is a prime opportunity to rethink logistics not as a mere cost, but as a means of business growth. The key is whether shippers and logistics companies can share costs and values, and redefine Southeast Asian expansion, temperature-controlled management, and DX investment not as 'cost cutting' but as 'investment in competitiveness.'