Uber Japan, a subsidiary of U.S.-based Uber Technologies, announced on August 13 that it has signed an operational partnership agreement with Hinomaru Kotsu for the planned autonomous taxi (robotaxi) pilot program in Tokyo. The trial service is scheduled to commence in the Tokyo metropolitan area in late 2026, with Hinomaru Kotsu serving as the licensed operator responsible for vehicle operations management and maintenance, while Uber provides the ride-hailing app and operational support tools.<\/p>\n
The division of responsibilities between the two companies is clearly defined. Hinomaru Kotsu will comprehensively handle vehicle operations management, depot operations, maintenance, inspections, cleaning, charging, and vehicle utilization monitoring. Uber, meanwhile, will provide the matching platform, creating a seamless environment where users can hail and ride in robotaxis.<\/p>\n
Under Japanese law, robotaxi operations must be conducted by taxi operators licensed to provide passenger transport services. Accordingly, the pilot program is designed to comply with domestic regulations and licensing requirements, with Hinomaru Kotsu operating it as a taxi business. In the initial phase, Hinomaru Kotsu drivers will ride along as “safety drivers,” with a phased approach toward eventually achieving fully driverless operations.<\/p>\n
Built on March Three-Way Partnership<\/p>\n
This agreement is based on a memorandum of understanding regarding a robotaxi partnership in Japan signed on March 12, 2026, among Uber Technologies, UK-based startup Wayve Technologies, and Nissan Motor.<\/p>\n
The pilot program will deploy Nissan’s electric vehicle “Leaf” equipped with Wayve’s autonomous driving artificial intelligence (AI) system, “AI Driver.” The Nissan Leaf has a proven track record as a mass-produced EV and is expected to integrate well with autonomous driving systems. Wayve’s AI Driver is known for its camera-centric sensor configuration that enables advanced driving decisions, with demonstration tests underway primarily in Europe.<\/p>\n
Hinomaru Kotsu President Kazutaka Tomita commented on the partnership: “We aim to build an operational framework that maximizes the safety management and operational expertise we have cultivated over many years, allowing both manned taxis and robotaxis to leverage their respective strengths.”<\/p>\n
Pilot Program Framework<\/p>\n
The outline of the pilot program is as follows:<\/p>\n
ItemDetailsStart dateLate 2026Operating areaTokyo metropolitan areaVehicleNissan Leaf (equipped with Wayve’s AI Driver)OperatorHinomaru KotsuRide-hailing platformUberInitial safety protocolHinomaru Kotsu drivers ride along as safety drivers<\/p>\n
Note: Information based on announcements and press materials from both companies.<\/p>\n
Japan’s Robotaxi Competition Accelerates<\/p>\n
This partnership represents a significant step as competition to commercialize autonomous taxis in Japan intensifies. Japan’s revised Road Traffic Act took effect in April 2023, enabling Level 4 (fully autonomous driving under specific conditions) operations. While low-speed autonomous services in rural areas such as Eiheiji Town in Fukui Prefecture have led the way, robotaxi deployment in major metropolitan areas like Tokyo has been considered technically challenging due to heavy traffic and complex road environments.<\/p>\n
As one of the world’s largest ride-hailing platforms, Uber has already launched robotaxi dispatch services in Phoenix, Arizona and Los Angeles, California through its partnership with Waymo in the United States. Its full-scale entry into the Japanese market could influence the battle for dominance in autonomous mobility across Asia.<\/p>\n
Domestically, Honda and Toyota are also advancing autonomous taxi demonstration projects, and 2026 is expected to be a year when each company’s initiatives materialize simultaneously. If a collaboration model with existing taxi operators like Hinomaru Kotsu becomes established, a three-tier structure\u2014autonomous driving technology manufacturers, operators with operational expertise, and platform providers that aggregate demand\u2014could become the standard model for Japan’s robotaxi market.<\/p>\n
The taxi industry is facing a severe driver shortage, with a survey by the National Hire-Taxi Federation showing that many drivers who left during the COVID-19 pandemic have not returned, making talent acquisition a critical management challenge across the industry. The introduction of autonomous driving technology is drawing attention as a response to this structural labor shortage, and Hinomaru Kotsu’s early accumulation of operational expertise carries significant weight.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Uber Japan, a subsidiary of U.S.-based Uber Technologies, announced on August 13 that it has signed an operational…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":73702,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[47409,8,47410,47411,34552,52,43856,47408,47118,6334],"class_list":["post-73701","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tokyo","tag-hinomaru-kotsu","tag-japan","tag-kazutaka-tomita","tag-nissan-leaf","tag-nissan-motor","tag-tokyo","tag-tokyo-metropolitan-area","tag-uber-japan","tag-uber-technologies","tag-wayve"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73701","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=73701"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73701\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/73702"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=73701"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=73701"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=73701"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}