JTPP Helpdesk's 5th Thematic Report looks closer at Japanese government entities' procurement practices related to public transportation. Transportation-related, or more specifically railways related, procurement was one of the few industrial sectors explicitly mentioned in the government procurement chapter of the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) concluded in 2019.The conclusion of the EPA, where access to Japan’s public transportation market was one of the more thorny issues during the negotiations, signified the end of Japan’s rigid application of the notes in the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA) annexes that ‘procurement related to operational safety of transportation’ by sub-central government entities (GPA Annex 2) and other entities (GPA Annex 3) was not covered.

The 38-page report provides on overview of procurement activities of government controlled transportation enterprises (railways/bus services) in Japan, including JR Hokkaido, JR Shikoku and Tokyo Metro. It also provides information about procurement by Bureaus and Department of Transport that manage public transport enterprises in Japan's larger cities. Attached to the report is also a list of recent GPA/EPA covered tenders related to transportation, with tender details provided. 

The Report is currently available for subscribers to the JTPP Helpdesk Thematic Reports Mailing List. For a first glance of the Report, read the introduction here. 

For those with further questions about the Report a free 'Consultancy Hour' Q&A session will be organised later this month.