What ITS Japan does

ITS Japan (特定非営利活動法人 ITS Japan) is a Specified Non-Profit Corporation founded in 1994 and headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo, that promotes Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) in Japan through industry-government-academia coordination. The organization serves corporate members (automotive OEMs and technology firms such as Honda, Toyota, Nissan, and Pioneer), government agencies (JARTIC, VICS, Geospatial Information Authority, NICT), and academic researchers, while maintaining reciprocal partnerships with ERTICO (Europe), ITS America, and ITS Asia-Pacific as part of the tri-regional ITS World Congress framework.

Its core products and services include the ITS Journal (International Journal of Intelligent Transportation Systems Research), an English-language academic journal published three times annually through Springer since 2010 (with origins dating to 2003); the annual ITS Symposium (24th edition in 2026); the ITS Annual Report; the Community Plaza member-event platform hosting seminars and site visits; and annual policy proposals and recommendations to government. Historically, the organization also operated a disaster-time vehicle traffic passage information service using probe data from member automakers, which it transferred to JARTIC in January 2026 for social implementation.

ITS Japan operates on a membership-based nonprofit revenue model, charging a 200,000 yen joining fee and 300,000 yen annual fee per regular corporate member, supplemented by negligible publication sales (publication fees were eliminated in January 2020). The organization is funded entirely by member dues and operates with a lean staff of 1-10 employees, executing its mandate through committees, working groups, international conferences, and research dissemination rather than through commercial product sales.

Name

ITS Japan

Legal name

特定非営利活動法人 ITS Japan

Website

https://its-jp.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ITS Japan is a Tokyo-based Specified Non-Profit Corporation founded in 1994 that promotes Intelligent Transport Systems in Japan by coordinating industry, government, and academia through membership events, research publications, policy proposals, and participation in the global ITS World Congress.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Intelligent Transport Systems Research and Policy Advocacy

NAICS

Support Activities for Transportation (488), Business Associations (813910), International Affairs (92812)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Transportation Services (4700), International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

Technical Committees, Working Groups & Expert Panels (BPADANAB)

Keywords

• Intelligent transport systems
• Transport policy research
• Mobility innovation programs
• ITS research publications
• Transport technology conferences

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokio

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: ITS Japan generates revenue primarily through annual membership fees from corporate and organizational members. Membership provides access to various services including committee participation, information distribution, events, and publications.
2. Publication Sales: Revenue from sale of individual papers from the ITS Journal through Springer's platform. Publication fees were eliminated as of January 2020.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ITS Japan is a specified non-profit organization (Tokutei Hieiri Katsudo Hojin) that promotes Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) in Japan through industry-government-academia collaboration. It recruits corporate and organizational members, publishes the International Journal of ITS Research via Springer, organizes the Community Plaza member events and the annual ITS Symposium, coordinates Japanese participation in the ITS World Congress, and conducts policy advocacy and disaster-response traffic information programs.

Product overview

ITS Japan operates as an NPO promoting Intelligent Transportation Systems in Japan. Its portfolio consists of four main offerings: the ITSジャーナル (International Journal of ITS Research), an English-language academic journal published via Springer since 2003; the 乗用車・トラック通行実績情報 (Vehicle Traffic Record Information) service providing disaster response traffic data (transferred to JARTIC in 2026); the コミュニティ Plaza member event platform hosting seminars and exhibitions; and the ITS年次レポート (Annual Report) publication. These services support industry collaboration, knowledge dissemination, and disaster resilience through ITS technology.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ITS Journal (International Journal of Intelligent Transportation Systems Research) An English-language peer-reviewed academic journal covering all aspects of Intelligent Transport Systems, published electronically three times per year through Springer. ISSN 1868-8659 (electronic) and ISSN 1348-8503 (print). Indexed through Springer Link, accessible to researchers worldwide via individual article purchase.
• ITS Annual Report (ITS年次レポート) An annual publication covering ITS developments, industry trends, and activities in Japan. Distributed to members and stakeholders to summarize progress in the field.
• Community Plaza (コミュニティプラザ) A member-exclusive event program hosting seminars, workshops, study tours, and exhibitions multiple times per year. Topics include autonomous driving, carbon neutrality, international ITS trends, smart city mobility, and member company technology presentations.
• ITS Symposium An annual academic symposium on ITS topics featuring peer-reviewed and non-peer-reviewed papers. The 24th edition is scheduled for 2026. Selected peer-reviewed papers are published in the ITS Journal.
• Vehicle Traffic Record Information (乗用車・トラック通行実績情報) A disaster response service providing real-time vehicle traffic passage data during major disasters, originally developed after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. Uses probe data from passenger vehicles (via VICS) and truck manufacturers. In January 2026, ITS Japan transferred the service to JARTIC for social implementation.

Quantifiable outcome

• Disaster passage information provided during multiple major disasters including 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake, and various typhoons, transferred to JARTIC in 2026 for social implementation.

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• ERTICO - ITS EuropecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerERTICO - ITS Europe is a European ITS organization mentioned in ITS Japan's banner links, indicating international cooperation between the three major ITS regions (Europe, Americas, Asia-Pacific) for knowledge exchange and global ITS promotion.
• ITS AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerITS America is the American counterpart organization, with whom ITS Japan collaborates as part of the tri-regional ITS framework that organizes the annual ITS World Congress rotating among Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Americas.
• ITS Asia-PacificcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerITS Asia-Pacific is an organization that coordinates ITS activities across 11 countries/regions in the Asia-Pacific region. ITS Japan actively participates in its activities, including the annual Asia-Pacific ITS Forum.
• Japan Road Traffic Information Center (JARTIC)coreTechnology or IntegrationIn January 2026, ITS Japan transferred its disaster passage information service to JARTIC (公益財団法人 日本道路交通情報センター) for social implementation. JARTIC now receives truck vehicle position data directly from truck manufacturers for integrated processing.
• Springer NaturecoreTechnology or IntegrationSince 2010, ITS Japan has partnered with Springer for publishing, distribution, and marketing of the International Journal of Intelligent Transportation Systems Research. The journal is available through Springer Link, reaching a global audience of researchers.
• VICS Center (道路交通情報通信システムセンター)coreTechnology or IntegrationThe VICS Center provides probe information from passenger vehicles used by ITS Japan for generating passage data. The VICS Probe Utilization Service (launched April 2025) forms the basis for passenger vehicle passage information.
• Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (国土地理院)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDuring the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake response, ITS Japan collaborated with the Geospatial Information Authority to provide passage and road closure information based on their 'Tohoku Region Road Regulation Information Disaster Information Aggregation Map'.
• Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJICA collaborates with ITS Japan to support ITS technology deployment in developing countries, particularly in Asia. The partnership includes ITS research study groups and projects for international cooperation in transportation technology.
• Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJAXA and ITS Japan collaborate on satellite positioning technology for ITS applications, including the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (Michibiki). ITS Japan has conducted study groups and field visits to JAXA's Tsukuba Space Center.
• National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNICT collaborates with ITS Japan on information communication technology and network security for ITS applications, including security and privacy protection for big data utilization in advanced transportation systems.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• ITS Canada: Canadian national ITS organization engaging in knowledge exchange with ITS Japan and ITS America. Operates a similar regional coordination model for ITS stakeholders in a different national market.
• ITS Australia: Australia's national ITS organization engaging in cross-border knowledge exchange with ITS Japan (e.g., 2026 inbound study tour). Operates a similar industry-government-academia coordination model focused on a different geography.

Emerging players

• Japan Road Traffic Information Center (JARTIC): Public-interest corporation that received ITS Japan's disaster passage service in January 2026 and now operates the integrated vehicle passage information system. Comparable as a Japan-based mobility data coordination entity with overlapping automotive OEM relationships.
• VICS Center: Japan's Vehicle Information and Communication System Center, which provides probe information from passenger vehicles to ITS Japan's passage data services. Operates in the overlapping ITS data and dissemination domain.

Direct peers

• ITS America: The Americas counterpart in the tri-regional ITS World Congress framework, focused on advancing intelligent transportation in the United States. Operates a comparable membership and policy advocacy model for ITS stakeholders in its region.
• ERTICO - ITS Europe: The European regional ITS coordination counterpart of ITS Japan, jointly organizing the tri-regional ITS World Congress with ITS America and ITS Asia-Pacific. Both organizations serve as public-private coordinators for ITS research, events, and policy advocacy within their respective regions.
• ITS Asia-Pacific: Coordinates ITS activities across 11 Asia-Pacific economies and organizes the annual Asia-Pacific ITS Forum. Directly comparable as a regional ITS membership organization in which ITS Japan actively participates.

Broad incumbents

• SAE International: Global standards and mobility engineering organization that publishes technical standards and journals intersecting with ITS domains (autonomous driving, V2X). Comparable in producing peer-reviewed publications and convening industry on technical standards.
• Transportation Research Board (TRB): U.S. National Academies unit covering all transportation modes with a broader scope than ITS Japan. Comparable as an established transportation research publication and conference organizer producing peer-reviewed outputs and convening committees.

Others

• Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA): Japanese government development agency that collaborates with ITS Japan on ITS deployment in developing Asian countries. Comparable as a strategic partner supporting ITS international cooperation rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about ITS Japan