Country

Robotaxis in Japan

4 cities tracked, 0 with public driverless rides, 4 operators.

Osaka, Japan - newmo (testing)OsakaTokyo, Japan - Waymo (testing)Hitachi, Japan - Ibaraki Kotsu (public, with operator)HitachiYokohama, Japan - Nissan (public, with operator)Yokohama

Cities

Hitachi

Yokohama

Osaka

Tokyo

Regulation

Japan

National Police Agency / Prefectural Public Safety Commissions, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT)

The Road Traffic Act amendment of April 2023 lifted the ban on Level 4 driving on public roads. Operators need vehicle approval with operating-environment conditions from MLIT, a specified automated operation permit from the prefectural Public Safety Commission and a transport business approval. Level 4 services so far are mostly low-speed or bus routes; robotaxi pilots in Tokyo and Yokohama still run at Level 2 with safety drivers.

  1. Road Traffic Act amendment allows Level 4 on public roads. source
  2. Japan's first Level 4 public road service starts in Eiheiji, Fukui. source
  3. First specified automated operation permit for a commercial vehicle (Hitachi BRT, Ibaraki). source
  4. First Level 4 operation on public roads in the Tokyo metropolitan area (Kashiwa-no-ha shuttle bus, Chiba). source
Sources (3)
  1. What is Level 4 autonomous driving - Macnica, 13 Sep 2024
  2. Hitachi BRT Level 4 commercial operation press release - Ibaraki Kotsu / JARI, 24 Jan 2025
  3. Kashiwa-no-ha Level 4 operation start - CooL4 consortium / JARI, 13 Jan 2026

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