New regulatory reform minister Hiroshi Nakatsuka has said he want to make self-driving technology and ride-hailing services more widely available. Regarding ride-hailing services, in which ordinary drivers use their own vehicles to transport passengers for a fee, Nakatsuka, who took office in a Cabinet reshuffle in September, cited resistance that tends to emerge when a system is changed. Securing sufficient transportation services is “the biggest challenge,” Nakatsuka said, adding that the government plans to establish a related panel to promote discussions on the issue.
Nakatsuka is the first Cabinet minister from the Japan Innovation Party, the coalition partner of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. A year after the LDP and the JIP (also known as Nippon Ishin no Kai) struck a coalition agreement, the partnership has entered “a new stage,” with the two parties’ cooperation expanding to the Cabinet level, Nakatsuka said. Noting that the JIP is a political party established for reform, Nakatsuka said, “Free from vested interests, the party is expected to break new ground and has been given the mission of driving reforms forward.” Nakatsuka, who also serves as minister for policies related to children, expressed his commitment to improving conditions to allow for confidential childbirth, or women who give birth and disclose their identities only to medical institutions.
He pointed to hurdles such as insufficient postnatal support for new mothers and guaranteeing children’s right to know their origins. The ruling parties are discussing issues associated with confidential childbirth while studying relevant systems in other countries, he said.
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