Washington DC's cherry blossom trees will bloom at the Tidal Basin again this year during the National Cherry Blossom Festival.  The history of these trees, which began as an exchange of mutual appreciation, as cherry blossom trees were offered from Japan and a return of dogwood trees were sent from the United States, has marked a near 100-year friendship between these two countries.

During this time of celebration and reflection, it is pertinent to ask what Japan and the US can give each other today to sustain this friendship. After taking the initiative through repeated talks to discuss this very question, JITTI USA and APTA are pleased to host a symposium on universal railway safety, an area where both the US and Japan strive for perfection, and where discussion on the unique safety measures of our two countries would lead to the collective betterment of mass transit systems and the day-to-day lives of Japanese and Americans as a whole. 

In the United States where passenger rail service is one of the safest modes, eighteen times safer than travel by car, the industry strives for continuous improvement and continues to implement upgraded safety measures, such as PTC.  At-grade crossing incidents and human-error accidents remain a continuing concern. For railway operators, challenges include strengthening safety measures, utilizing new technologies such as AI and IoT, and fostering a safety culture.  These endeavors have global interest.

In Japan, past experiences with accidents have been a catalyst for the development of their own railway safety measures, including implementing mechanical fixes such as ATS (Automatic Train Stop) and ATC (Automatic Train Control), as well as promoting a safety culture among railway operators through streamlined safety management systems. These various railroad safety measures, which promote hardware, software, human, and regulatory solutions, have ensured that Japan is a global leader in transport safety.

By inviting high-level representatives from Japanese and American railway authorities and operators, JITTI USA and APTA hope to foster a discussion on the current state of existing safety measures and the future direction for strengthening railway safety and safety philosophies.  Through this discussion, JITTI USA and APTA trust that as representatives from Japan and the United States work and learn from one another in this specific field, they will foster understanding and sustain the friendship so long ago established.