Waymo, a subsidiary of Alphabet, has partnered with Japanese ride-hailing operator GO Inc. and taxi company Nihon Kotsu to launch a commercial autonomous taxi service in Tokyo. The companies intend to begin operations in 2027, marking the first service of its kind in Japan.
The project will initially deploy a small fleet of vehicles. Following regulatory approval and validation of Waymo's technology and operational model, the partners plan to scale the fleet to approximately 100 vehicles serving key areas of Tokyo.
The service will be fully driverless from the start, allowing users to book rides through the GO and Waymo mobile applications. Tekedra Mawakana, co-CEO of Waymo, confirmed that the service will be open to the general public upon launch.
Waymo has been testing its technology in Tokyo since 2025 by collecting data using human-driven Jaguar I-PACE vehicles. This initiative represents the company's first public road operations outside of the United States.
The partners state that the autonomous taxi service aims to address Japan's labor shortages and broader demographic challenges. Other industry players, such as Nissan, are also pursuing robotaxi development through partnerships with companies like Wayve and Uber.
