Disruption to the international freight system is easing, but the transport ministry of Japan maintains it is “important to secure complementary replacement routes in case of emergencies.”
These routes may include the use of ports in Canada, Mexico and the east coast of the United States instead of the U.S. west coast. Ships had been left unable to offload their cargo during the coronavirus pandemic due to truck driver shortages.
The invasion of Ukraine has also limited transport options via Russia, with flights having to divert around its airspace and its Trans-Siberian Railway seeing less use.