Will This City See Waymo's First Foreign Launch?
Waymo heads to Tokyo in early 2025 for mapping a number of the city's neighborhoods, ahead of discussions with Tokyo officials regarding the safe use of SAE Level 4 tech in Japan.
The robotaxi company has partnered with taxi company Nihon Kotsu for service and upkeep of its cars, with taxi drivers slated to drive Waymo's vehicles in a mapping operation.
Waymo has not yet officially committed to launching operations in areas of Tokyo, but is hinting at such plans by calling this mapping step an "expansion into Japan."
Waymo's robotaxis are already a common sight in a number of US cities, and will soon be a common sight in Tesla's new hometown.
But the robotaxi industry leader has taken a slow and careful approach to launching in new cities, spending many months laying the ground work for an eventual commercial launch for passengers.
And so far, Waymo has been content to keep its operations in the US, and particularly in the southwest of the country.
Now, Waymo is going on what it calls its first international road trip, and it's headed to the land of the rising sun. Early this year the robotaxi industry leader plans to bring some its autonomous vehicles to Tokyo—easily one of the world's busiest megacities with a population of 41 million in the greater metro area—and one whose geographic boundaries stretch across a wide area.
"There, our Driver will learn and adapt to left-hand traffic and new driving nuances associated with operating in one of the world's most densely populated urban environments," the company said a few weeks ago.
Is Waymo already planning to launch services in Tokyo?
Despite calling this road trip an "expansion into Japan," the robotaxi operator for now will work with Nihon Kotsu taxi drivers behind the wheel of Jaguar I-Pace models to map a number of Tokyo neighborhoods including Shibuya, Shinagawa, Minato, Shinjuku, Kōtō Chiyoda, and Chūō. The data gathered will be used to train the Waymo Driver software in this new environment.
Waymo also plans to work with government officials, community groups and local partners to learn how its tech can serve residents of the megapolis.
Robotaxi developers have eyed Japan for some time, eager to cater to an aging demographic, but practical tests of SAE Level 4 tech have not translated into a large robotaxi fleet to date despite no shortage of advanced tech concentrated in the country's auto industry.
Over the past decade we've certainly seen interest from automakers in launching robotaxi operations, but curiously enough this hasn't resulted in large-scale commercial operations to date.
But automakers with advanced autonomous tech on their shelves are still wary of the economics behind robotaxi services, more so than the regulatory hurdles.
"We are engaging with Japanese policymakers, regulators, and local safety officials to ensure a responsible and seamless implementation of Waymo's technology to Tokyo's streets," Waymo indicated.
Waymo itself has not explicitly committed to launch operations in Tokyo, or parts of the city, just yet, as quite a bit has to happen on the regulatory side before this step. But its work with local partners, including the largest taxi company in the metropolis, follows a pattern we've seen unfold stateside over the past couple of years, with Nihon Kotsu set to service the initial Jaguar I-Pace fleet.
Time will tell if Waymo will feel ready to launch operations in Japan in the near term amid some local competition, but it's clear that the company's robotaxi tech is proving to be safe in several big cities.
Will 25% of all ride-hailing cars be robotaxis in the US by the year 2030, or will they remain at a lower level of market adoption by that point? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
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