Modal shift targets fresh seafood and produce shipments while addressing driver shortages and reducing emissions
JAL Cargo has partnered with rail operator JR East to accelerate domestic shipment transfers in eastern Japan, targeting time-sensitive commodities such as seafood.
The new service, branded JAL de Hako-byun, will launch on 13 January and will leverage JR East’s Shinkansen high-speed rail network to move cargo more rapidly from regional production areas to international gateways.
JAL said the rail-air combination would deliver significantly shorter lead times, high punctuality and enhanced network connectivity.
Under the new service, transit times from Sendai to Singapore are expected to fall from more than 24 hours to 19 hours.
Shipments from Nagano to Malaysia are forecast to be reduced from over 40 hours to around 34 hours, while transit from Niigata to Hong Kong is expected to drop from more than 30 hours to just 18 hours.
The service is aimed primarily at fresh perishables, including seafood, fruit and vegetables, as well as machinery parts.
Departure stations include Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto, Shin-Aomori, Morioka, Akita, Sendai, Niigata, Nagano and Tsuruga.
Cargo will be routed via Tokyo Haneda and Narita airports before onward international flights to destinations including Singapore Changi, Shanghai, Kuala Lumpur International, Hong Kong International, Taiwan Taoyuan and Taipei Songshan.
“By integrating the frequent and punctual Shinkansen train service with JAL’s long-haul air network, this service achieves substantial reductions in transit time compared with conventional transport methods,” JAL said.
The airline added that the initiative would also help address Japan’s ongoing truck driver shortage and contribute to lower CO₂ emissions through modal shift.
Japan has faced mounting driver shortages since April 2024, when annual overtime for truck drivers was capped at 960 hours.
The launch follows a trial shipment conducted in October last year, during which cargo was successfully transported from Sendai to Singapore.
The new partnership is not the airline’s only expansion in cargo in recent months. In December, JAL struck an agreement with Kalitta Air to increase the number of weekly codeshare cargo flights operated by Kalitta Air between Tokyo Narita (NRT) and Chicago O’Hare (ORD).
