Isuzu to build test course for self-driving trucks in Japan's Hokkaido
SOTA TANAKA
TOKYO -- Isuzu Motors will spend roughly 7 billion yen ($47.1 million) to construct a test course for autonomous driving in fiscal 2027, President Shinsuke Minami said in an interview with Nikkei.
The facility, to be built at the Japanese truck maker's Hokkaido testing grounds, will simulate urban driving to improve the precision of Isuzu's self-driving technology. The course is slated to begin use in fiscal 2027.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Nikkei Asia
3 hours ago
- Nikkei Asia
Japan PM Ishiba's approval rating hits new low of 32%: Nikkei poll
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is expected to make a final decision on his future as early as August. (Photo by Uichiro Kasai) Nikkei staff writers TOKYO -- The approval rating of Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's cabinet hit 32%, the lowest since his government's October 2024 launch, in the latest Nikkei/TV Tokyo survey. On the most suitable person to be the next prime minister, former Minister in charge of Economic Security Sanae Takaichi and Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, both of Ishiba's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, tied for first place at 20% each. They were followed by Yuichiro Tamaki, leader of the Democratic Party For the People, at 9%. Ishiba came in fourth at 6%.
Nikkei Asia
9 hours ago
- Nikkei Asia
Japan Display to sell panel production equipment amid restructuring
A Japan Display employee works at the company's Mobara plant, which is now expected to close by year-end, earlier than initially planned. (Photo obtained by Nikkei) FUMIE YAKU TOKYO -- Japan Display plans to sell LCD and OLED panel production equipment at its Mobara fab in Chiba prefecture instead of moving it elsewhere for the plant's closing. Having abandoned the idea of relocating the equipment to its other remaining fab, the company will stop making panels for the Apple Watch. Japan Display has long struggled financially, forcing it to scale down operations.
Yomiuri Shimbun
13 hours ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Japan Says $550 Billion Package in Trade Deal Could Finance Taiwanese Chipmaker in US
TOKYO, July 26 (Reuters) – Japan's $550 billion investment package agreed in this week's U.S. tariff deal could help finance a Taiwanese firm building semiconductor plants in the U.S., Japan's top trade negotiator Ryosei Akazawa said on Saturday. Japan agreed to the sweeping U.S.-bound investment initiative, which includes equity, loans and guarantees, in exchange for lower tariffs on its exports to the U.S. However, the structure of the scheme remains unclear. 'Japan, the United States, and like-minded countries are working together to build supply chains in sectors critical to economic security,' Akazawa told public broadcaster NHK. To that end, he said projects eligible for financing under the package are not limited to U.S. or Japanese firms. 'For example, if a Taiwanese chipmaker builds a plant in the U.S. and uses Japanese components or tailors its products to meet Japanese needs, that's fine too,' he said, without specifying companies. The U.S. is significantly reliant on Taiwan's TSMC for advanced chip manufacturing, raising economic security concerns due to geographic proximity to China. TSMC announced plans for a $100 billion U.S. investment with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House in March, on top of $65 billion pledged for three plants in the state of Arizona, one of which is up and running. Japan will use state-owned Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) and Nippon Export and Investment Insurance (NEXI) for the investments. A recent law revision has enabled JBIC to finance foreign companies deemed critical to Japan's supply chains. Akazawa told NHK that equity investment would account for just about 1-2% of the $550 billion, suggesting that the bulk will come in the form of loans and guarantees. When asked about the White House statement that the U.S. would retain 90% of the profits from the package, he clarified that the figure refers only to returns on equity investment, which would represent a small fraction of the total. While Japan initially hoped to secure half of the returns, a loss from the concession on the profit-sharing would be marginal compared to the roughly 10 trillion yen ($67.72 billion) in tariff costs that could be avoided under the deal, he said. He added that Japan aims to deploy the $550 billion investments during Trump's current term. ($1 = 147.6600 yen)
