Depth report

　　

Japan’s sharing economy has developed rapidly in recent years. From shared cars to homestays to shared services, the content has become more diversified and the scale is also on the rise. While the sharing economy has become a new way of economic development in Japan and creating new value for society, it is also becoming a new form of social activity.

 　 Variety of shared content

    Japan divides the domestic sharing economy into space sharing based on homestays, rental offices, parking lots, etc., mobile sharing based on cars and bicycles, commodity sharing based on the second-hand goods market, and time sharing based on home services. And many types of fund sharing based on donations and investments. On the basis of summarizing social practices, the Japanese government put forward the concept of “Social Reform 5.0” in the “Future Investment Strategy 2017” report published in June 2017, and defined the sharing economy as: utilising underutilized goods, space, knowledge, Leisure assets such as wisdom and skills have enabled them to generate broader and new commercial value.

 　 Japan’s sharing economy started early. In the early years, it was mainly in the form of space sharing, transfer of used goods, and car rental. Many universities have classrooms, auditoriums, and gymnasiums, but no dormitories. Except for a small number of nearby students, most students rent apartments near the school as dormitories, and many of them are shared by classmates. The flea market in Japan is very popular, with tableware, clothes, wardrobes, furniture and other daily necessities. Many people take "Taobao" at the flea market as a pleasure. In the 1970s and 1980s, car rental services appeared in many places. One was to make it convenient for urban car-free families, so that families who don’t usually use cars don’t need to buy cars and save money on renting parking lots and car maintenance. , Bothersome things; Second, it is convenient for people who travel to other places to rent a car locally at any time to complete a one-day or several-day trip, and they can enjoy services such as return of the car, instant settlement, full insurance, etc., which is very convenient and safe.

 　 In recent years, Japanese family hotels have sprung up and become another important part of the sharing economy. The Japanese government vigorously develops the tourism industry and regards the consumption of shopping, accommodation, and visits by foreign tourists as the growth point of economic development. Foreign tourists visiting Japan are increasing year by year. In 2012, the number of Japanese immigrants was less than 10 million. In 2017, it reached 28.69 million, with an annual growth rate of 19.3%. However, the lack of hotels and inns has become a major problem for the development of Japanese tourism. The development of family hotels has just filled this vacancy. Many foreign tourists enjoy Japanese family hotel services through online reservations. Because family hotels are affordable and can experience local folk customs, Japanese family hotels have developed rapidly and become the first choice for foreign tourists to travel to Japan.

 　 Another type of sharing economy in Japan is the coin-operated parking lot on the side of the street. Japanese cities have fewer land and more cars and parking spaces are tight. The private parking management company discovered this new market and developed some unused land into fee-paying parking lots. Even if it is a small piece of vacant land demolished in the process of house reconstruction, the parking company will come to negotiate. The company is responsible for leveling the parking spaces and installing coin-operated parking devices. The profit is divided proportionally between the management company and the land owner. This mode of operation greatly increases the utilization rate of urban open space and facilitates temporary parking of cars. In recent years, the operating profits of such private parking companies have increased significantly, becoming a new growth point for the city's economy.

 　 In addition, the second-hand goods market in Japan is also constantly developing, extending from ordinary household goods to collectibles, luxury goods and other fields. In the past, people visited second-hand bookstores and mostly enjoyed finding a good book. Recently, many second-hand bookstores have opened up half of the space and started selling distinctive used clothes and leather shoes. When the reporter visited a bookstore once, he saw that a leather jacket was sold for $600. Surprised, the reporter learned that this is a must-have equipment for American Harley motorcycle enthusiasts, and it is a brand-name product that is relatively difficult to buy on the market. In addition to clothes, some brand-name watches and bags have also become popular commodities. The price is only about half of the new product, but it satisfies people's desire to own a brand-name jewelry.

Development of sharing form to service

 　 Japan’s sharing economy is now showing a trend from commodities to services. There are many golf driving ranges in Tokyo's downtown parks and other areas. In the evening, you can often see many people swinging and sweating. There are many one-on-one coaches next to them. According to industry insiders, many of them are amateur coaches. Professional coaching courses cost 8,000 yen to 10,000 yen per hour, but most amateur personal trainers booked online only cost about 5,000 yen, which is nearly half the price. According to reports, these coaches use their spare time to teach playing skills in their spare time. This is actually a typical model of a service-oriented sharing economy. There are many similar forms, such as culinary master teaches cooking, makeup master teaches make-up and so on.

 　 Behind the service sharing is the support of network technology. In the past, service sharing failed to form a scale, mainly due to the ineffective integration of commercial resources, the inability to form scale benefits, and the difficulty in forming a business model. The development of network technology provides a large platform for small and micro businesses. On the one hand, it effectively integrates resources, and on the other hand, it concentrates resources on the market, which greatly improves the efficiency of information communication and promotes the development of the sharing economy. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust Bank Management Director Sugisaki Mikio pointed out that network technology will provide more technical support and service methods to the market, and the sharing economy will usher in greater development in the future.

The shared market has a lot of room for development

 　 According to the 2016 Information and Communication White Paper published by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications of Japan, the size of the sharing economy market worldwide in 2013 was 15 billion U.S. dollars. By 2025, this market will reach 335 billion U.S. dollars, an increase of approximately 20 times. Regarding Japan’s sharing economy market, Nishino Research Institute of Economics pointed out that the size of the Japanese market in 2016 was about 51 billion yen, and it is expected to reach or exceed 100 billion yen in 2021. The forecasts of private research institutions are more optimistic. The Japan Institute of Information and Communication Technology reports that the size of the Japanese sharing economy market may reach 2.63 trillion yen in the future, and the sharing economy still has a lot of room for development in Japan.

 　 The Japanese automobile manufacturing industry, which used to focus on the production and sales of automobiles, has begun to take aim at the new area of the shared market. At the beginning of this year, Nissan Motor Co. began to launch electric car sharing services in Osaka and other places. The company started early in the Japanese electric car market and has the largest share. Not long ago, the company proposed the "Mobile 2022" mid-term development plan. One of its contents is the development of car sharing. It plans to expand the car charging stations in the Osaka area from 49 to 500 during the year, providing two latest electric vehicles. For sharing services, the management company is responsible for the charging and maintenance of vehicles, allowing customers to experience the advanced technology and new kinetic energy of electric vehicles, and further expanding the popularity and market share of electric vehicles during sharing.

 　 The 2020 Tokyo Olympics will be a milestone in Japan’s sharing economy. Japan plans to introduce fully automated driving from the airport to the main competition venues and athletes’ villages during the 2020 Olympics to promote the popularization of autonomous driving technology. In addition to automobile manufacturers, some Internet companies and innovative companies have invested in autonomous driving technology. It is expected that the autonomous driving of automobiles will be integrated and developed with the sharing economy, realizing the common progress of technology and transportation.