In a move that sounds like something out of the new Francis Ford Coppola film Megalopolis, the Japanese government has announced that it will build a 300-mile conveyer belt for trade to link Tokyo and Osaka. The ‘Auto-flow Road’ which is projected to be the first of many such arteries linking Japan, will consist of conveyer belts either in tunnels beneath major roads or on tracks alongside the hard shoulder, or perhaps even both.
The image of the country as a super-efficient high tech deadline meeting superpower probably no longer
Pallets holding up to ton of cargo each will be transported on the constantly moving treadmill. The scheme, the brainchild of boffins at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism is projected to carry as much freight as could be delivered by 25,000 drivers, speedily, seamlessly and all at the touch of a button.
It all sounds rather fantastical, but the ministry has pointed out that such freight conveyer belts are in operation already, and not just in airports.
Britain’s best politics newsletters
You get two free articles each week when you sign up to The Spectator’s emails.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in