President's Message

Thanks to the understanding and cooperation of the automobile industry and all of you, the number of JAF members reached a total of 20,401,000 as of the end of November last year, an increase of more than 210,000 since the same period the previous year. In response to your support, we will continue to push forward with a variety of activities this year to further improve member satisfaction as we address issues facing our mobility society.

Through dialogue and co-creation, JAF is continually changing in order to respond to changes in the automotive environment and to meet the expectations of mobility users, promoting our business with the aim of supporting safe and secure local communities.

As for road services , trial operations of on-site recharging services for electric vehicle (EV) power outages began in August last year, responding to requests from customers in Tokyo, Kanagawa, Aichi, and Osaka. JAF van-type service vehicles were equipped with recharging equipment to provide emergency rapid recharging, after safety measures are taken at the site of a power outage.

In December last year, we began offering a new service using a dedicated website that allows people who are unable to call JAF or have not downloaded the JAF app to request assistance seamlessly and easily when they need help with car trouble.

In the area of social contribution, when large-scale flooding occurred in the center of Akita City due to record-breaking heavy rains that began on July 14th last year, JAF dispatched a support team from the Tohoku Branch as a first-response team and later dispatched special support teams from branches nationwide to transport affected vehicles. From the 16th to the 24th, the number of requests for flooded vehicles exceeded 1,000, and at its peak, a total of 53 personnel and 48 tow trucks were at work, transporting 627 vehicles by the 24th. JAF actively engages in disaster drills and has established a system for prompt rescue operations, so that we can accurately respond to requests for relief from customers affected by disasters.

Last year , the eighth survey on pedestrian protection at crosswalks without traffic signals was conducted with results showing a 45.1% stop rate, the highest ever since the survey began. However, the reality is that more than half of the cars still do not stop. As such, we will continue to promote activities to raise awareness in cooperation with related organizations.

For membership services , we are expanding content that members can enjoy in various aspects of daily life, such as improving partner facilities for members to use regularly, offering driving stamp rallies for those visiting sightseeing spots, and staging events.

Last year, JAF supported many motorsports events held throughout Japan, ranging from top category and other JAF-approved competitions across the country to auto tests that even beginners could casually enjoy. We will continue to cooperate with motorsports clubs in each region to further revitalize these events.

In order to respond to the diversification of individual lifestyles and changes in the social environment, JAF will continue to engage in various business activities under the business themes, Dialogue and Co-creation. We look forward to your continued support.

Masayoshi Sakaguchi
President
Japan Automobile Federation (JAF)