
Can startups save Japan’s logistics industry?
From Disrupting Japan by Tim Romero
September 15, 2025 · 35 min · Episode 242
About this episode
Taro Sasaki discusses the challenges and opportunities in Japan's logistics industry and how startups can drive modernization.
According to Taro, Japan's logistics industry is on the brink of collapse, and it's hard to argue that he's wrong. Taro Sasaki founded Hacobu with the goal of modernizing Japan's logistics industry. He found few takers for the first few years, and then a new law changed everything. We talk about how Japan's demographic and economic challenges, why some industries simply refuse to invest in themselves, and how to sell to them anyway. It's a great conversation, and I think you'll enjoy it. Show Notes Why Japanese logistics is on the brink of collapse The factors pushing demand for trucking higher in Japan What's preventing Japan's logistics industry from modernizing How to sell digital products to skeptical analog industries A new Japanese law mandating business efficiency How to bootstrap a complex application ecosystem from scratch The huge value hiding inside Japanese logistics data Hacobu's global expansion plans Taro’s best advice to founders wanting to sell into traditional, blue collar industries The importance of dreaming big -- even in Japan Links from the Founder Everything you ever wanted to know about Hacobu Keep up with the latest on Hacobu [Japanese] Hacobu's survey…
People in this episode
Host: Tim Romero
Guest: Taro Sasaki
Topics covered
- logistics industry
- startups
- business efficiency
- digital products
- economic challenges
- trucking demand
Keywords
- logistics
- Japan
- Hacobu
- startups
- business efficiency
- trucking
- digital transformation
- economic challenges
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Hacobu
Places: Japan, Japan's logistics industry, Japan's demographic and economic challenges, Japanese law, Japan
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