TMF Held the Third Tateshina Conference Aiming for Zero Traffic Accident Casualties
JAPAN
JULY 18, 2025
Toyota Mobility Foundation (Chairman: Akio Toyoda, hereinafter “TMF”) held the third Tateshina Meeting on July 18 to advance discussions and initiatives aimed at achieving zero traffic accident casualties.
The Tateshina Meeting aims to achieve zero traffic accidents by promoting initiatives through a three-pronged approach*1, focusing on cars, people, and traffic infrastructure. These efforts are driven by discussions among leaders from various companies and organizations. The meeting also aims to encourage individuals to recognize the importance of safe behavior and make changes to prevent accidents.
Currently, 1.19 million people worldwide (as of 2023) are losing their lives in traffic accidents each year, making it the leading cause of death among young people aged 5 to 29*. In Japan, the number of accidents involving pedestrians and cyclists remains consistently high. By age group, the majority of traffic casualties included individuals aged 60 and over, as well as 7-year-old children. (*Source: World Health Organization [WHO], 2023)
At this year’s Tateshina Meeting, while the importance of advancing vehicle safety features was recognized, challenges related to the time needed for widespread adoption and cost were also emphasized. This led to a discussion on immediate actions–specifically, the potential of encouraging behavioral changes–as a practical approach to preventing accidents involving children, cyclists, and other vulnerable road users.
The meeting was facilitated by TMF board member and motor journalist Goro Okazaki, focusing on the theme: “Traffic safety is created by everyone — leading to behavior change.”
In the panel discussion, Naoto Ikeda, TMF director and automotive business journalist; Tatsuya Abe, National Police Agency (Traffic Bureau) deputy director general, and Yuta Tomikawa, Toyota Times News producer and presenter, exchanged views on how public communication and media reporting can foster and reinforce lasting behavioral change in traffic environments and contribute to the prevention of traffic accidents, indicating examples such as increased stop rates at unsignalized crosswalks driven by police and media awareness campaigns. It was further suggested that reporting based on the facts of an accident can help people see traffic accidents as something that could happen to them, prompting them to reflect on and change their own behavior. By showing empathy for the victims while also exploring the background and causes of accidents, such reporting has the potential to support meaningful individual behavior change.
Deputy Director General Abe also introduced the “Okinawa Yuimaru Project,” a collaborative initiative involving the Okinawa Prefectural Police, TMF, Toyota Motor Corporation, and other partners. Building on this example, the meeting outlined a direction for strengthening the three-pronged approach by advancing public-private data collaboration and leveraging those insights to enhance road environments and support awareness initiatives.
Hajime Kumabe, CEO of Woven by Toyota, introduced initiatives aimed at realizing a society with zero traffic accidents, based on the theme of “thinking about human-centered traffic safety”. He also announced that, through the software development platform “Arene”, the development of Software Defined Vehicles (SDVs) will be accelerated. Additionally, the importance of designing traffic safety from a human-centered perspective was emphasized, highlighting the need to consider from the pedestrian’s point of view, questions like “What kinds of rules or signals people would naturally want to follow” and “How can we make them easy to follow.” He also introduced Woven City’s three-pronged approach, which brings together cars (mobility), people, and transportation infrastructure, as a vision for the mobility test course.
At the close of the meeting, Akio Toyoda, Chairman of Toyota Motor Corporation and the Toyota Mobility Foundation, stated, “To reach zero traffic accidents, we need everyone to see this as their own challenge—and take action, however small, in their own way.” Throughout the meeting, participants reaffirmed the importance of every individual in society—whether drivers, pedestrians, or cyclists—taking personal responsibility for preventing accidents and acting within their respective roles to help ensure safety for all.
Overview of the 3rd Tateshina Meeting
Date & Time: Friday, July 18, 2025, 9:00–10:30 a.m.
Theme: “Traffic safety is created by everyone — leading to behavior change”
Program Highlights:
1. Understanding the Current Challenges in Traffic Safety
Goro Okazaki, Motor Journalist / TMF Board Member
2. A Human-Centered Approach to Traffic Safety
Hajime Kumabe, CEO, Woven by Toyota
3. Panel Discussion: What We Can Do Now
featuring perspectives from government, media, and the private sector
Participants: Approximately 80 representatives from a range of organizations, including: Toyota Motor Corporation, 17 Toyota Group companies and affiliates, the National Police Agency, Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA), Suzuki, SUBARU, Mazda, Aioi Nissay Dowa Insurance, Sompo Japan, Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance, Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance, Bridgestone, Bridgestone Cycle, KDDI, Kyocera, Institute of Science Tokyo, and others.
The meeting also featured interactive exhibits and demonstrations showcasing traffic safety initiatives currently in progress, primarily led by subcommittees.
Main Exhibits:
- An immersive projection mapping experience that helps children learn about the dangers of accidents in familiar, everyday settings.
- A driving simulator that uses a traffic digital twin to recreate high-risk accident locations.
- A data visualization of high-risk areas for pedestrian accidents involving older adults, created by layering datasets from various companies, along with approaches for effective information delivery.
- A pilot project to support senior drivers and the modeling of such efforts.
- Efforts to prevent near misses and promote compliance with rules at intersections involving bicycles
(Part of the exhibitions on display)
1. Four-sided projection mapping 2. Driving simulator using a traffic digital twin
3. Senior pedestrian accident hotspots and info sharing methods 5. Guidebook to reduce bicycle accidents among Gunma high schoolers
The Tateshina Meeting is a traffic safety conference held annually in conjunction with the summer festival at Shoko-ji Temple on Mount Tateshina (in Nagano Prefecture), where top executives from the automotive industry gather to pray for traffic safety. It was first held in 2019 as a forum to share commitment and collaborate toward achieving zero traffic accident casualties.
From the outset, it has been recognized that reducing accidents requires a three-pronged approach focusing on cars, people, and traffic infrastructure. With the shared understanding that “traffic safety is created by everyone,” companies have cooperated in their activities while calling on a wider range of stakeholders to join efforts.
Currently, participation has expanded beyond the automotive sector to include the property and casualty insurance industry, bicycle manufacturers, research institutions, and various other organizations involved in mobility. The meeting also promotes subcommittee activities (established in 2023, with 43 companies and approximately 200 participants) *2 that work in partnership with government bodies, local authorities, and related organizations to implement initiatives leveraging data and technology.
At TMF, we will continue to prioritize activities aimed at reducing traffic accident casualties as quickly as possible, with the Tateshina Meeting and subcommittee activities serving as our core initiatives.
About the Toyota Mobility Foundation
The Toyota Mobility Foundation (Chair Akio Toyoda) was established in August 2014 by the Toyota Motor Corporation (Toyota) to support the development of a more mobile society in which everyone can move freely. The Foundation underscores Toyota’s ongoing commitment to continuous improvement and respect for people. It utilizes Toyota’s expertise and technologies to support strong mobility systems while eliminating disparities in mobility. TMF works in partnership with universities, governments, non-profits, research institutions and other organizations, creating programs that are aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to address mobility issues around the world.
“TMF aims to create a truly mobile society that will help people live better lives no matter where they are.”, quoted Chair Akio Toyoda.
Contact: Toyota Mobility Foundation (Yagi, Hashimoto)
TEL：+81(0)70-7520-9543 / +81(0)80-9351-3985
Office hours: 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. JST (unavailable Saturdays, Sundays, and national holidays)
E-mail： k.yagi@toyota-mf.org, s.hashimoto@toyota-mf.org, info@toyota-mf.org