Getting products from one place to another with as little human contact as possible is becoming an imperative for Japanese businesses as retailers, warehouses, and transport providers adapt to the coronavirus pandemic. Japanese companies are developing next-generation logistics technology to deliver goods without human touch, driven by worker shortages and the Covid-19 pandemic. Manufacturer Tsubakimoto Chain's sorting and conveyor systems are growing increasingly popular as companies seek ways to move things around, while startup Hacobu aims to increase use of its online platform for trucks to share information as they load and unload goods at warehouses. Meanwhile, companies in Japan and other Asian countries have expressed interest in U.S. startup Above Robotics' cloud-based software, which stitches together various autonomous logistics and transportation systems. Japan's government views automated logistics as important for global competitiveness, with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism urging greater use of data and artificial intelligence in managing truck fleets, autonomous vehicles, and drones.

Getting products from one place to another with as little human contact as possible is becoming an imperative for businesses as retailers, warehouses and transport providers adapt to the coronavirus pandemic, seeking to minimize the risk of infections to their employees and customers. Tsubakimoto Chain Co. is seeing more demand for its sorting and conveyor systems as companies seek ways to move things around, while startup Hacobu sees an opportunity to boost use of its online platform for trucks to exchange information as they load and unload goods at warehouses, a process that's still mostly done on paper. The need for automation is especially acute in Japan, where a labor shortage was already putting pressure on companies to find ways to run their businesses with less people. Now, that transition is being spurred on by the pandemic, which has boosted online buying and raised concerns among shoppers about being infected by items delivered to their doors. All told, the market for next-generation logistics systems in Japan is set to more than double to ¥651 billion ($6 billion) through 2025 from 2018, according to Fuji Keizai Co., a Tokyo-based research firm.