Fujio Uemura has to rest after driving fish all night to Tokyo, under new rules that trucking firms and experts say are crippling Japan's logistics sector and risk pushing up prices for consumers.

The regulations are aimed at easing the stress of the badly paid hard slog of trucking, and making it more attractive to young people in graying Japan, where some 90% of goods are transported by road.

"Before, I'd drive as long as I could before taking a break," said Uemura after his 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) journey from Oita in southern Japan with his load of fresh fillets.