TOKYO, JAPAN, MARCH 2025 – YCP is proud to announce that our Partner, Hayato Shiraishi, has been featured as a contributor in the Internet White Paper 2025: Digital Space at a Crossroads and AI Governance, which features insights on the Internet’s impact across technology, business, and society.
The Internet White Paper is a standard yearbook for the digital industry, published annually by the Japan Internet Association. Since its inaugural edition in 1996, each iteration has spotlighted an emerging theme and featured perspectives from more than 30 hand-picked contributors. This year’s report, the 29th edition, features 33 authors and revolves around the central theme of “Ridesharing and Micro Mobility: Current Status and Challenges.”
Shiraishi made a significant contribution to this year’s Internet White Paper, delivering a comprehensive analysis of Japan’s rapidly evolving transportation sector through the lens of micromobility. His work delves into the current landscape of ridesharing in Japan, highlighting shifting industry dynamics.
His interest in micromobility stems from his firsthand experience with Luup, a prominent e-scooter and e-bike sharing service in Japan. As a frequent user, he recognized both the potential and challenges of integrating micromobility into urban landscapes.
He examines key aspects of ridesharing and urban mobility, offering nuanced insight into the challenges of meeting society’s growing transportation demands and illustrating the promising potential of micromobility as a solution. His analysis also explores regulations surrounding innovative mobility solutions, such as electric kickboards, as well as providing a forthcoming outlook on Japan’s transportation future.
Shiraishi’s contribution not only clarifies the current challenges and emerging opportunities within Japan's transportation sector, but also offers an insightful perspective on the trends shaping the future of digital transportation. His work delivers critical insights, empowering stakeholders—including industry leaders and policymakers—with the insights necessary to effectively foster innovation and drive sustainable growth for transportation in Japan’s highly dynamic digital spaces.
He shared, “Transforming Japan’s sharing economy requires two key shifts: stronger collaboration between technology and government, and a shift from restrictive regulations to incentive-driven policies. While companies [like Luup] are making strides, real progress depends on a cooperative framework that fosters innovation. At the same time, instead of relying solely on prohibitions, we should encourage positive behavior through incentives to create a more sustainable and user-friendly mobility ecosystem."
To access the 2025 Internet White Paper, you may purchase it online here on a print-on-demand basis. For further details on the white paper, you may read NextPublishing’s full press release here. This white paper is only available in Japanese.
About Hayato Shiraishi
Hayato is a Partner for YCP’s Digital Transformation Division based in Japan. Before joining YCP, he led the Customer Strategy practice at KPMG Japan, overseeing branding, marketing strategy, customer experience, and go-to-market strategy.
With extensive experience in global projects, he specializes in Future Vision Design, New Business Concept Development, Customer Experience Design, and Go-to-Market Strategy. He has successfully led numerous global market entry projects, supporting multinational companies entering Japan and Japanese companies expanding internationally–from strategy design and marketing to promotion and business launch. Having lived abroad for 23 years (Indonesia for 5 years, Singapore for 15 years, and the UK for 3 years), Hayato brings a multicultural perspective and deep expertise in managing international projects. He is fluent in both English and Japanese.
About YCP
YCP is an Asia-focused professional consulting firm specializing in corporate strategy. We offer diverse consulting services across key business areas, such as Advisory and PMO, as well as specialized solutions in digital transformation, supply chain, and other sectors.