has sought to invest in automation, such as robotics, and expand the labor pool by reaching out to younger workers or workers from overseas. Sustainability Energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions is a goal of the Japanese government, which has resulted in national standards for energy usage as well as emissions standards set by local governments. There have also been technological approaches, including prefabricated houses produced with minimal emissions or more energy efficient construction materials. Corruption There are a number of interactions between the Japanese construction industry and its government that can be construed as corrupt. Observers note that companies have given political contributions or bribes to the government, particularly in the past when it was actively instituting protective measures or incentives to encourage industrial development. Very common especially in construction is or bid-rigging to arbitrarily raise project costs, enriching contractors at the expense of taxpayers. Even the largest construction contractors in Japan have been found to participate in this type of collusion, which has been investigated by the Fair Trade Commission. Notable companies In 2018, the construction industry in Japan included 3.5 million employees working for 451,000 companies, notable among which are five major vertically integrated firms with extensive operations both domestically and overseas: Kajima Corporation Obayashi Corporation Shimizu Corporation Takenaka Corporation Taisei Corporation See also Japanese architecture Transportation in Japan Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (Japan) References Construction industry Construction industry Japan-related articles by quality Japan-related articles by importance