Announced the collaboration of TradeWaltz-Cyber Port with the aim of building a Japanese standard trade platform – to complete full digitalization including the conclusion of transactions with overseas and logistics procedures-

TradeWaltz Inc.
The Ports and Harbors Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism

The collaboration aiming to build a Japanese standard trading platform by coordinating between systems in the future was announced between TradeWaltz Inc. (hereinafter referred to as TradeWaltz), which operates the“TradeWaltz^®”, a platform for linking upstream information on trade, and the Ports and Harbors Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, which operates the “Cyber PortTM”that digitalizes logistics procedures between private companies.

■ Trade digitalization that has progressed in Japan and remaining issues
　Japan, a country with not rich resources, is a trading nation that has achieved great economic development through its past history by importing raw materials from overseas, making products and exporting them overseas. Countries around the world have become intimately connected, and the number and amount of trade has continued to rise, making it difficult for the “paper-based analog trade” that has continued from the past to handle the volume.
　As for the customs clearance area in the trade procedure, while NACCS has led the way in digitalizing trade, there are still many analog processes such as paper documents, FAXs, PDFs, etc., which are inefficient and make it difficult for operators to work remotely and see statutes, and it is hoped that digitization will solve numerous problems as above.

■ The emergence of two platforms to resolve the issues of analog operations of trade procedures
“TradeWaltz” is a private trade platform created in 2020 under the system of industry-government-academia All Japan with the support of the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry in the commercial distribution and funds to solve the above problems. We are advancing efforts to digitalize exchanges with mainly shippers, finance institutions, insurance companies, logistics companies, shipping companies, chambers of commerce, etc.

  Also, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, and the Cabinet Office Information Technology (IT) Comprehensive Strategy Office (current Digital Agency) built “Cyber Port”, which is a logistics platform that started its initial operation in 2021, in collaboration with logistics-related organizations toward the digitalization of logistics procedures. The initiatives have been promoted with efforts to digitalize exchanges between private companies such as shippers, shipping companies, shipping agents, shipping companies, NVOCC / international forwarders, warehousing companies, customs brokers, terminal operators, and land carriers.

 In order to link these domestic trade digitalization movements, a collaboration was announced between NACCS and TradeWaltz on November 12, 2020 (※1), and we announced the implementation of the cooperation function on April 15, 2022 (※2). In addition, this time announcement is for the cooperation between TradeWaltz and Cyber Port.
※1) https://www.naccs.jp/news/data/20201112/20201112.pdf
※2）https://www.mlit.go.jp/report/press/port05_hh_000206.html
　The details of the system linkage are being adjusted, and the details will be announced from the fixed ones in the future.

■ To encourage wide use of the domestic trade platform in the future

  It is considered effective to create domestic trade data standard specifications with an eye on international cooperation (※3) in order to encourage Japanese trade practitioners to use the platform and digitalize and create a network of trade data in the future.

 From this perspective, we will continue to be actively involved in government-private efforts toward digitalization of the trade field in order to encourage broad use of the trading platform. 
※3) Reference: “Trade-related Digitization Study Group” sponsored by METI
　　　https://www.meti.go.jp/meti_lib/report/2021FY/000762.pdf

■ Comments from related parties
Hirohisa Kojima, Representative Director and President, TradeWaltz Inc.
I am very pleased to be able to announce the collaboration with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism toward Japan’s trade platform cooperation. Currently, not only Japan but countries across the globe are promoting trade digitalization as a national policy, and both public and private sector organizations are collaborating. Through this collaboration, Japanese stakeholders will work together as an all-Japan team to accelerate the movement of digitalization even more.

Takamitsu Asawa, Director of the Ports and Harbors Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism

While efforts are being made to digitalize trade procedures in other countries, it is important that Japan will improve the productivity of private companies by optimizing trade procedures as a whole through digitalizing trade procedures consisting of commercial distribution, cash flow, and logistics. Toward this goal, we are pleased to announce the collaboration with TradeWaltz Inc., and we will accelerate the efforts to digitalize trade procedures together with the government and private sectors.

About TradeWaltz Inc. ( https://www.tradewaltz.com )
TradeWaltz Inc. is a DX startup company that transforms paper-based analog trade in Japan and Asia into blockchain-based fully digitalized trade. The service is realized after four years of system development, technology verification, law revision proposals, and business plans in the trade consortium consisting of NTT DATA and 18 major trade practitioners as an all-Japan team. The business is operated by the joint investment of major 10 companies: NTT DATA Corporation, UTokyo Innovation Platform Co., Ltd., Mitsubishi Corporation, Toyota Tsusho Corporation, TW Link Cooperation . (Kanematsu JV), Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co., Ltd., MITSUI-SOKO HOLDINGS Co., Ltd., NISSIN CORPORATION, MUFG Bank, Ltd., and Sompo Japan Insurance Inc.

About Cyber Port ( https://www.cyber-port.net/ )
Cyber Port is a logistics platform built by the Ports and Harbors Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and the Cabinet Office Information Technology (IT) Comprehensive Strategy Office (current Digital Agency) in collaboration with 21experts and logistics-related organizations in the “Port Digitalization (Cyber port) Promotion Committee” since FY2018 with the aim to streamline operations and improve the productivity of port logistics as a whole by digitizing port logistics procedures between private companies that are carried out by paper, telephone, email, etc. The Ports and Harbors Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism started the first operation in April 2021.

(Note) “TradeWaltz” is a registered trademark of TradeWaltz Inc. in Japan. Other product names, company names, and organization names are trademarks or registered trademarks of each company.