Waymo plans to begin testing its self-driving car technology in Tokyo in early 2025. This is the first time the Alphabet company’s robotaxi has driven on public roads outside the United States.
The move to Japan is part of Waymo’s “road trip,” a development program that introduces and tests technology to various cities. Each city faces different challenges. In Tokyo, Waymo robotaxi will face left-hand driving and a dense urban environment.
So far, these road trips have typically focused on a dozen cities in the U.S. to test specific conditions or environments, such as rain in Miami or extreme heat in Death Valley, California. The company also tested the vehicle in Buffalo. Washington DC; Las Vegas; And Seattle. Typically, Waymo starts by bringing small fleets of vehicles into cities, where humans manually drive the vehicles and map specific areas. The vehicle will eventually be tested in autonomous mode, initially with a human driver behind the wheel.
Waymo said it would partner with taxi-hailing app GO and taxi company Nihon Kotsu as part of a “road trip” in Japan. Nihon Kotsu will oversee the management and servicing of Waymo’s fleet, according to the company.
Initially, Nihon Kotsu drivers will operate the vehicle manually to map key areas of the Japanese capital, including Minato, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Chiyoda, Chūō, Shinagawa and Kōtō. Waymo said it is working with the Nihon Kotsu team to train employees how to operate Waymo’s self-driving Jaguar I-Pace vehicle.
The announcement comes just a week after GM said it would scrap its Cruise robotaxi program, a decision that also ended its plans to launch a driverless ride-hailing service in Japan with partner Honda. In October 2023, Honda, Cruise, and GM announced plans to launch a robotaxi service together in Tokyo in 2026 using Cruise’s purpose-built robotaxi called The Origin.
