Developing a concept for core logistics facilities for next-generation mobility Helping address logistics challenges through the automation and improved efficiency of line-haul transport

Mitsubishi Estate Co., Ltd. is a leading real estate company engaged in the development, leasing, operation, and management of offices, retail properties, hotels, and logistics facilities, as well as overseas business, investment management, airport operations, design and construction supervision, real estate brokerage, and area management. Under its group mission—“Contribute to society through Machizukuri (urban development),” the company has adopted “Be the Ecosystem Engineers,” as set out in Sustainability Vision 2050, as the common guiding policy for both its social value enhancement strategy and shareholder value enhancement strategy under its long-term management plan. Based on this policy, the company is addressing various social issues.
In recent years, the logistics industry has faced significant challenges, including driver shortages and the prospect of future transport capacity constraints resulting from an aging workforce. Japan’s logistics network is supported by approximately 60,000 transport companies, and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism estimates that there will be a shortfall of about 34% in the transport capacity needed in 2030. “Long-distance transport, in particular, poses a major challenge, and we expect that even routes between Tokyo and Osaka will become difficult to operate in their current form,” says Mr. Yuto Katsuragi, Head of Core Logistics Business Promotion Office, Logistics Facilities Development Department, Mitsubishi Estate. “Logistics companies have responded to the driver shortage associated with the ‘2024 logistics problem’ through modal shifts and relay systems, but the issue has yet to be fundamentally resolved. In the long term, the transportation system itself will need to be redesigned.”
Against this backdrop, Mitsubishi Estate has launched a concept for developing core logistics facilities directly connected to expressway interchanges. These facilities would incorporate functions such as mobility pools for coupling and decoupling autonomous trucks and open cross-docking facilities for transferring freight between autonomous trucks engaged in line-haul transport and driver-operated trucks handling regional delivery. The concept aims to address the challenges facing line-haul transport through the use of next-generation mobility technologies such as Level 4 autonomous trucks.
Furthermore, the company has invested in T2 (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo), a developer of autonomous driving systems, and is conducting demonstration projects aimed at realizing line-haul transport using Level 4 autonomous trucks linking core logistics facilities. “As a real estate company, we have traditionally focused on developing and leasing logistics facilities. With this initiative, however, we aim to go beyond that. By combining systems and automation technologies with logistics facilities, we believe we can create next-generation mobility-ready core logistics facilities by leveraging Mitsubishi Estate’s strengths—its relationships with numerous shippers and logistics companies, together with its expertise in logistics facility development,” says Mr. Katsuragi.

The project to support development of the system architecture for the core logistics concept was carried out over approximately three months, from October 2025 to January 2026. It began with defining the business model, followed by examining system requirements and functions, and sharing case studies on open cross-docking. The project culminated in the development of the scope and scenarios for the proof of concept (PoC), together with an overall roadmap.
The project was unprecedented even for Mitsubishi Estate, and there are virtually no comparable examples anywhere in the logistics industry. As a result, neither existing logistics models nor conventional real estate development frameworks could be applied. It was therefore necessary to determine the most appropriate business model while simultaneously defining multiple underlying assumptions.
As the sessions progressed, issues that had been unclear during the conceptual stage gradually came into focus, and the business model became increasingly well defined. Throughout the discussions, ABeam presented what it considered to be the most appropriate approach for each phase and shared examples of similar initiatives undertaken by other companies, highlighting their key features and challenges. Building on these insights, the team systematically developed a set of working hypotheses on the measures to be considered for the open cross-docking initiative within the core logistics concept, providing a foundation for more in-depth discussion.
Through ongoing dialogue between Mitsubishi Estate’s project team and ABeam’s consultants, the key issues to be addressed were progressively refined, ultimately leading to a clear vision of the desired future state. “We communicated with the consultants frequently. Even outside the formal sessions, whenever I shared an idea via chat, I received an immediate response, which helped build a strong relationship of trust. As a result, I feel that our discussions during the sessions became even more active and productive,” says Mr. Takayanagi.