Waymo’s driverless cars are about to begin an overseas adventure

Waymo’s autonomous cars are about to appear on streets outside of the U.S. for the first time.

The company on Wednesday announced on social media that its autonomous cars will be driving onto the streets of Tokyo, Japan, “soon,” with some reports suggesting the rollout will begin as early as next week.

Waymo is already testing paid robotaxi services in a bunch of U.S. cities, including  San Francisco, Phoenix, Austin, and Los Angeles. If everything goes smoothly in Japan, there’s a chance its robotaxi service could launch there, too, though such a service is likely to be a ways off.

Alphabet-owned Waymo said that at first, its Tokyo cars will be driven manually by humans while the vehicles map key areas of the Japanese capital, including Minato, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Chiyoda, Chūō, Shinagawa, and Kōtō. The experience will also enable Waymo’s autonomous software to learn and adapt to left-hand traffic, as well as a range of new driving nuances present in one of the world’s most densely populated urban environments.

When the American company first announced its Japan plan last December, it said it’ll be outsourcing servicing and management of its autonomous cars to local firm Nihon Kotsu, Tokyo’s largest taxi operator, while also partnering with GO, Japan’s popular taxi-hailing app. 

“Our upcoming road trip to Tokyo gives us the chance to work alongside local partners, government officials, and community groups to understand the new landscape,” Waymo said when it announced its international expansion. “We’ll learn how Waymo can serve Tokyo’s residents and become a beneficial part of the city’s transportation ecosystem. And every step of the way, we’ll take a rigorous approach to validating our technology’s safety and performance.”

It added that it’s also working with local policymakers, regulators, and safety officials “to ensure a responsible and seamless implementation of Waymo’s technology to Tokyo’s streets.”

Japan is currently experiencing a shortage of taxi drivers, so Waymo could be eyeing the market and playing the long game, hoping that in the years ahead it may be able to gain permission to launch a fully fledged robotaxi service in a potentially lucrative sector. But there is much work to be done before then.