Waymo plans to begin testing its self-driving car technology in Tokyo in early 2025, marking the first time Alphabet’s robotaxis will be on public roads outside the United States.
The move to Japan is part of Waymo’s “Road Trip,” a development program that brings and tests its technology to different cities, each with different challenges. In Tokyo, Waymo robotaxis will face left-hand traffic and a dense urban environment.
Road trips to date have typically focused on a dozen or so U.S. cities to test specific conditions and environments, such as the rain in Miami or the extreme heat in Death Valley, California. The company also tested the vehicle in Buffalo. Washington DC; Las Vegas; and Seattle. Waymo typically starts by bringing small vehicles into cities, with humans manually driving the vehicles and creating maps of specific areas. The vehicle will eventually be tested in autonomous mode, initially with a human operator behind the wheel.
Waymo has announced a partnership with taxi hailing app GO and taxi company Nippon Kotsu as part of its Japan “Road Trip” initiative. Nihon Kotsu will oversee the management and maintenance of Waymo vehicles, the company said.
Initially, Nihon Kotsu drivers will operate the vehicles manually to map key areas of Japan’s capital, including the port, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Chiyoda, Chuo, Shinagawa and Koto. Waymo said it is working with a team from Nihon Kotsu to train employees on how to operate Waymo’s self-driving Jaguar I-Pace.
The announcement comes just a week after GM announced it was discontinuing its Cruise robotaxi program. The decision also halted plans to launch an unmanned ride-hailing service in Japan with partner Honda. In October 2023, Honda, Cruise, and GM announced plans to jointly launch a robotaxi service in Tokyo in 2026 using Cruise’s dedicated robotaxi, “The Origin.”
