Japan is building a giant, underground conveyor belt to transport all the stuff people buy
A 310-mile automated distribution network could ease traffic, reduce CO2, and address a shrinking workforce.
The Japanese Transport and Tourism Ministry has a crazy idea to increase logistics efficiency, reduce road traffic, and avoid the increasingly dramatic labor shortage crisis the Asian nation is experiencing: build a 310-mile fully automated underground transportation system designed to move packages from Tokyo to Osaka and back. Looking at their plan and similar schemes around the world, this oversize sushi conveyor actually makes a lot of sense.