Waymo is targeting 2027 for the launch of Japan’s first fully autonomous commercial taxi service in Tokyo, working with Japanese taxi app operator GO and taxi company Nihon Kotsu.
The service is expected to begin with a small fleet before expanding to about 100 vehicles across key Tokyo neighbourhoods, subject to regulatory approval and further validation of Waymo’s autonomous driving technology and operating model.
Once approved and fully validated, the taxis will operate without drivers and be available to passengers through both the GO and Waymo apps.
“From day one, this will be an unmanned service for the public,” Waymo Co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana told reporters at a joint press conference in Tokyo.
“We’ll grow our fleet responsibly over time, steadily operating until anyone in Tokyo can download an app and take a ride.”
Waymo began collecting driving data in Tokyo in 2025 using human-driven Jaguar I-PACE vehicles, marking its first public-road operations outside the United States.
The planned service could help address Japan’s shortage of taxi and other professional drivers, which has become a growing issue alongside the country’s declining population.
The move also adds to growing competition in Japan’s autonomous taxi market, with Nissan separately working with British autonomous driving startup Wayve and Uber Technologies to develop robotaxis.
