Japan Session

Yoshihiro SUDA is Professor of Institute of Industrial Science (IIS) & director of Mobility Innovation Collaborative Research Organization (UTmobI). He graduated from The University of Tokyo, Department of Mechanical Engineering in 1982 and got Doctoral Degree in 1987. He stayed as Guest Associate Professor of Queen’s University at Kingson, Canada from 1991 to 1993. His research area are dynamics and control engineering, human-machine interface. He is a board member and former executive vice president of JSME & JSAE, vice representative director of Mobility Innovation Alliance Japan, director of Japan Road Traffic Information Center and charged committee member of Japanese Governments. He hosted many international conferences.

Kentaro Asayama has been the Director in Group of Service for Citizens, Digital Agency since July 2023 and responsible for popularization of driverless cars. He joined Ministry of Transport (currently Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport) in 1993 and mainly engaged in planning of transportation policies.

Norihiro Naritomi joined the National Police Agency in 1992, and has worked mainly in the field of traffic police, both nationally and locally. In the National Police Agency, he served as Assistant Director in charge of Traffic Planning Division and License Division. In regional areas, he served as the Director of the Traffic Enforcement Division of Shizuoka Prefecture, etc.
Currently, he is the Director of the Automated Driving Planning Office, Traffic Planning Division, Traffic Bureau, National Police Agency.

MASHIKO Takanori is the Director of New Generation Mobile Communications Office. He joined the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications in 2003. He has been in charge of various projects such as the revision of the Radio Law, introduction of top-level domain related to geographical names, and multilingual translation. After working in the Cabinet Office (Science, Technology and Innovation) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Embassy of Japan in Russia), he has been working on radio wave policies related to ITS, automated driving, and Beyond 5G since 2022.

Joined the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry in 2005. Since joining the Ministry, he has worked in the Trade Policy Bureau and the Industrial Science and Technology Policy and Environment Bureau of the Ministry, where he has been instrumental in promoting strategies for exporting high-quality infrastructure, negotiating World Trade Organization (WTO) rules, and promoting environmental and energy policies toward carbon neutrality. In July 2023, he will assume his current position and work on a wide range of mobility DX policies, including automated driving and data utilization.

Mr. Masamitsu WAGA has been Director of ITS Policy and Program Office, Road Bureau, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) since April 2022. He started working at Ministry of Construction (currently MLIT) in 1997. Recent work experience before his current position ranges from urban environment policy and bicycle use promotion.

I was born in Kanagawa Prefecture in 1976, and in 2001. I was hired by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) as a technical officer. At the MLIT, I was engaged in the creation of automobile regulations, Type Approval, Car inspections, recalls, etc. I have been in Director of Policy Planning Office for Automated Driving Technology, Road Trasport Bureau, MLIT since July 1, 2023.

Short CV
　1951　　Born in Osaka Pref.
　1974　　Graduated from CE Dept. of Tokyo Univ.
　1978　　Asst Prof. Tokyo Inst. Of Technology
　1982　　Prof. Tsukuba Univ.
　2016　　Prof. Emeritus, Tsukuba Univ.

Area of Studies
Transportation Planning and Policy Development, Infrastructure Policy Development, National Land Planning

Public Services
- Cabinet Office : Chair, Committee on Smart City Guidebook
- Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism :
Member, Council of Infrastructure Policy, Chair of Road Policy Committee
Member, Council of National Land Development
Chair, Domestic Supporting Committee for ASEAN Smart City Network
- Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry :
Member, Committee on Autonomous Driving Business

Recent Publications
- Smart City (in Japanese) Jihyousha 2021
- Smart Mobility for Well-Being (in Japanese) Gakugeisha 2022
- Innovations for Better Rural Mobility, International Transport Forum/OECD