According to foreign media reports, Amazon Japan announced that it will significantly strengthen its logistics network in Japan to expand the scope of its next-day delivery service and deliver goods to customers faster.

Amazon is reportedly planning to add 18 delivery stations in Japan, focusing on areas outside the big urban centers of Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya. The total number of delivery stations will increase by around 60% compared to 2021. Amazon aims to expand its next-day delivery service to all of Japan by 2023.

Facilities at the new delivery station, which will automatically read labels and sort packages by destination, will be an intermediate hub in Amazon's logistics network, handling deliveries from FBA warehouses to customers.

It is worth noting that Amazon will use distribution centers and delivery stations to provide customers with better quality pickup services. The customer can put the package at the door or other designated location, and then inform the deliveryman. This service is also known as "Key For Business"

The service now operates in about 2,500 apartment buildings, triple the 800 in November last year, the report said. Later this year, the service will be rolled out in Aomori, Okinawa and eight other prefectures, before further covering the entire Japan region.

Kohei Shimatani, Amazon's Japan operations director, added that Amazon also plans to build two to three new fulfillment centers in Japan each year, on top of its current fleet of more than 20 fulfillment centers. Now, Amazon's logistics network can handle more than half of the country's orders, but the company hopes to further increase its freight-handling capacity and grab more share of the e-commerce logistics market.

The editor of EasyYa has learned that the popularity of the epidemic has made Japanese e-commerce take off. Japan's three major ground operators handled a record 4.68 billion parcels in fiscal 2021. The favorable market prospects have caused major logistics companies to compete fiercely in terms of parcel delivery speed.

Separately, Rakuten Group and Japan Post formed a joint venture in 2021 to offer same-day delivery; online fashion company Zozo is expanding its same-day delivery service, aiming to cover more than 70% of the country.