On July 18, 2023, Toyota Mobility Foundation (TMF), in cooperation with numerous companies and organizations involved in mobility, held the Tateshina Meeting near the Shoko-ji Temple, which was built to pray for traffic safety, in the foothills of Mt. Tateshina in Chino City, Nagano Prefecture. The meeting aimed to promote discussion and expand collaboration among the participants, with the goal of achieving zero traffic accident casualties. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this was the first time the meeting was held in four years since the inaugural meeting in 2019. This year, approximately 100 individuals participated, including executives from over 30 companies and organizations from Japan and overseas, and a lively exchange of views and opinions took place. The meeting is scheduled to be held regularly from next year onward.
The meeting started with a keynote speech looking back on past traffic safety initiatives, such as the development of safety technologies, legislation, and infrastructure. This was followed by a presentation on cutting-edge efforts to make cars even more intelligent. The final presentation explored the possibility of combining humans and AI in the future to maximize the capabilities of both, leading to safer driving.
Next, during the discussion phase and throughout the entire meeting, the need to adopt a “three-pronged approach” *1 involving cars, people, and traffic infrastructure to achieve zero traffic accident casualties was shared, along with the recognition that “traffic safety is something everyone creates together.” Based on this, each company committed to continue collaborating to advance initiatives while reaching out to as many stakeholders as possible to get involved.
As a specific initiative, subcommittees were launched where numerous companies and organizations will collaborate to address challenges such as accidents involving bicycles and motorbikes and supporting vulnerable groups in terms of mobility, such as the elderly and children. In the future, the subcommittees aim to implement activities based on the “three-pronged approach” while sharing the knowledge of participating members and promoting cooperation with the government, local authorities, and relevant organizations.
*1 Three-pronged approach The realization of zero traffic accident casualties is based on the concept that activities should take an integrated “three-pronged” approach from the perspectives of cars, people, and traffic infrastructure as expressed by the “development of safe vehicles,” “traffic safety awareness activities targeting people,” and “participating in improving the traffic environment.”
[Reference 1] List of participating companies / organizations
(35 at time of launch, in no particular order)
[Reference 2] Tateshina Meeting
The Tateshina Meeting was first held in 2019 as a platform for sharing aspirations and promoting collaboration toward realizing zero traffic accident casualties. It is held during the Summer Festival at the Mount Tateshina Shoko-ji Temple*2, where top executives from the automobile and related industries gather annually to pray for traffic safety.
Toyota Times Links
Toyota’s 50-year prayer toward the elimination of traffic accidents
*2 Mt. Tateshina Shoko-ji Temple The denomination is the Hosso sect of Buddhism (the head temple of the sect is Yakushiji). The Shoko-ji Temple was built as a place to comfort the souls of those who perished in traffic accidents, pray for those injured in traffic accidents, and pray for the elimination of traffic accidents. A Summer Festival is held every year on July 17 and 18.
SOURCE: Toyota
