Setouchi Perspective: A map of the future interpreted by the NYT - Japan lags behind in autonomous driving, but the Setouchi region still has an opportunity

Recently, I started a subscription to the New York Times. Despite the reasonable price of 300 yen per month, to be honest, I barely got to read it for a while. I felt like I was satisfied with just buying it, and that there was no point in it, and yet the notifications just kept arriving on my iPhone every day. That was the situation I found myself in

However, one day, I suddenly realized,
"If I load this NYT article into ChatGPT, I might be able to translate and summarize it all at once."

At that moment, something connected within me

When I tried it, it was more comfortable than I imagined

1. Choose an article that interests you in the NYT app
2. Send the article URL to your MacBook
3. Open it in Safari, switch to "Reader View" and copy only the text
4. Paste it into ChatGPT and it will sort the contents in a few seconds

There may already be Japanese people out there who have tried the same method, but the experience of being able to instantly understand the world's most cutting-edge news for a monthly subscription fee of 300 yen was quite a shock to me.
Until then, I had been hesitant to read difficult English articles, but with just one ingenuity, I was able to keep up with world events on a daily basis.

This realization also ties into the direction of the blog I will be writing from now on. Starting with world news, I will focus on "Japan's current state" and "the local Setouchi region." I would like to start this new way of reading with this article

The forefront of autonomous driving, AI, and infrastructure around the world

As I skim through the NYT daily, I naturally get a sense of where the world is heading, like statistics. One article I read recently was particularly striking

In China, the practical application of self-driving taxis is progressing rapidly, data centers are facing huge demand for batteries to support AI, and the boundary between military and technology is almost disappearing.
In Silicon Valley in the United States, a scramble for power infrastructure is underway, and the competition between AI companies is shifting from "computing power" to "electricity."

In other words,
the world is beginning to draw a new industrial map centered on "hardware," "energy," and "automation."

The more I follow the news, the more I am amazed at how quickly it happens

What this reveals about Japan's current state

Here, I feel simple,

Where does Japan stand on this map?

This is my question

Regarding autonomous driving, regulations and responsibility remain unclear, and the technology has barely progressed beyond the demonstration stage.
The amount of investment in AI infrastructure is also in a completely different league from that of the United States and China.

Of course, it's not that Japan lacks technological capabilities,
but I get the strong impression that while the rest of the world is now entering the "real thing," Japan is still in the "preparation" stage

The era when Japanese cars dominated the world is now nothing more than a thing of the past.
The ability to create "unbreakable cars" is impressive, but that alone is not enough to drive a change in the global trend.

So where should Japan compete?

Shipping: An Unexplored Continent

Here, we arrive at a hypothesis

Shouldn't Japan compete with ships instead of cars?

Japan is a country surrounded by the sea, with some of the world's leading ports and shipping routes, and is naturally endowed with the qualities of a maritime nation.
And above all, unlike cars
, ships are slower
, have fewer obstacles
, and can move in larger spaces
, making automation much easier to achieve.

In fact, China is rapidly developing its land transportation infrastructure, while Japan is said to be strong in the field of automated maritime navigation

, experts unanimously agree that inland seas like the Seto Inland Sea are
"one of the most suitable areas in the world for the social implementation of autonomous navigation."

The future as seen through the International Ryobi Ferry "Olympia Dream Seto"

A symbol of this the autonomous ferry "Olympia Dream Seto" .

A new movement known as autonomous ferries is now gaining momentum in the Seto Inland Sea.
This month, Kokusai Ryobi Ferry's Olympia Dream Seto passed inspections for autonomous operation, becoming the world's first ship to operate commercially with "autonomy equivalent to Level 4."

Behind this lies a serious population decline and a shortage of seafarers across Japan.
In particular, the Seto Inland Sea's remote island routes are a vital means of transportation for daily life and a major artery for tourism, so the question of whether the number of services can be maintained is unavoidable.
Automation could be a concrete answer to this concern.

However, the Seto Inland Sea has complex tidal currents and is home to many fishing boats and pleasure craft, making it an extremely challenging environment for autonomous navigation.
This is precisely why its practical application here is so significant.
Nippon Foundation Executive Director Umino points out that over 80% of ship accidents are due to human error, and emphasizes that automation will also lead to improved safety

If autonomous navigation can be established in the "difficult" area of ​​the Seto Inland Sea, it will become a model that can be deployed on remote island routes in other regions.
This is not just a matter of technology; it can be said to be the beginning of creating a new infrastructure that protects the lives and transportation of remote islands.

From local to global: Setouchi could be a test bed

In the vast global situation depicted by the NYT, I began to think that the small region of the Seto Inland Sea might actually have an important meaning

• The population is small, but the shipping routes are stable
• The climate is relatively mild
• There are many islands, and there is a high demand for short-distance travel
• It is also a global art hub (Naoshima and Teshima)

There are few places better suited to making autonomous ferries a part of everyday life than here

one day people will say "The Setouchi Autonomous Ferry is a role model for the world."

The NYT, which costs 300 yen a month, unexpectedly revealed the future of the Seto Inland Sea

When you follow the news from around the world, you can see Japan's weaknesses, but at the same time, you can also see its potential.
This realization was a perfect example of that.

of the NYT, which costs 300 yen per month, and ChatGPT's summary function
unexpectedly brought to light the "future of the Seto Inland Sea" in a vivid way.