Japan Unveils PLATEAU Vision 2026: After 329 Cities in 3D, Urban Digital Twins Go GlobalA · FULL TRANSLATION
- MLIT published PLATEAU Vision 2026 on July 17, setting the roadmap for urban digital twins
- 3D city models now cover 329 Japanese cities since the project began in 2020
- Three priorities: efficient data updating, service deployment, and overseas expansion
- New AI technology auto-generates 3D city models from satellite and smartphone imagery
Japan's urban digitalization policy enters its second act: the transport ministry published PLATEAU Vision 2026 on July 17, charting the next phase of Project PLATEAU, its open 3D city model program. Since 2020 the project has modeled 329 cities, with adoption centered on disaster prevention and urban planning. The vision names three priorities: efficient data creation and updating, deeper service deployment, and exporting urban digital twins abroad.
The notable shift is technical: the program will embrace partial-attribute and AI-generated data, and has already developed AI that auto-generates textured 3D city models from satellite and smartphone imagery—collapsing the cost of what previously required aerial surveys and manual modeling. That cost curve decides whether digital twins become everyday infrastructure rather than showcase projects.
PLATEAU remains a model case of open government data: fully downloadable, commercially usable, and already spawning ecosystems in disaster simulation, real estate, and gaming. Details per the ministry's original release.
[MLIT press release, July 17, 2026 — summary translation] The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has published PLATEAU Vision 2026, compiling the challenges recognized and future direction of Project PLATEAU, its initiative for developing, utilizing, and opening 3D city model data.
Since its 2020 launch, 3D city models have been developed for 329 cities as of fiscal year-end 2025, with use advancing chiefly in urban development and disaster prevention. To sustain autonomous progress, the ministry sees a need to broaden model adoption and entrench utilization in urban policy.
The vision designates three key priorities: (1) more efficient data development and updating, (2) further promotion of service implementation, and (3) international expansion of urban digital twins, together with focus service areas, an industry-academia-government structure, targets, and an action plan.
The scope of covered data will expand beyond the traditional 3D city model to include partial-attribute data and AI-generated data. As a first technology initiative, the ministry has developed AI-based automatic generation and texturing of 3D city models from satellite and smartphone imagery, reducing development costs and promoting sustained use of urban digital twins. (Details per the original release.)