Government Offers 5 Yen Reward for Using Amazon's 'Leave Delivery' Service

TOKYO, Jul 26 (News On Japan) - Starting in October, the Japanese government will introduce a new support measure aimed at addressing the logistics industry's labor shortage, known as the "2024 Problem," by offering up to 5 yen in points per delivery for using services like "Leave Delivery," where packages are left at the door.

At a logistics-related ministerial meeting held at the Prime Minister's Office today, Prime Minister Kishida announced, "We will implement a program starting in October to provide points to consumers who choose delivery options such as convenience store pick-up or Leave Delivery, with participation from major e-commerce and transport companies."

This initiative will reward users with points when they opt for single-trip deliveries or specify delivery dates with more flexible timeframes, with the government providing up to 5 yen per delivery. Amazon Japan and three major courier companies will also participate in this program.

The backdrop of this measure is the labor shortage caused by overtime regulations for truck drivers, referred to as the "2024 Problem." The government aims to halve the current 12% redelivery rate to 6%, thereby improving operational efficiency through this initiative.

Public reactions include:

"Do we get 5 yen? That's great! It's so hot right now, and when I see drivers sweating and looking busy, I want to help in any way I can," said a local resident.

A woman who doesn't usually use the Leave Delivery service commented, "I sometimes have to request redelivery. I feel sorry for the drivers. If there is a benefit to using Leave Delivery, I would like to try it."

Another resident expressed some skepticism, "Is it really appropriate to spend the budget on this alone? I wonder how much the 5 yen for Leave Delivery will actually help."

The government meeting also discussed other measures, such as creating "logistics-only lanes" on highways and conducting a demonstration experiment of "automated logistics roads" for unmanned parcel delivery by the fiscal year 2027.

The extent to which these measures will alleviate the driver shortage in the logistics industry remains to be seen.

Source: TBS

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