Uber Japan has signed an operational partnership with Tokyo taxi operator Hinomaru Kotsu to run day-to-day fleet operations for a robotaxi pilot in the Japanese capital scheduled to launch in late 2026, giving the ride-hailing giant its first named local partner for driverless service in one of the world's most demanding driving environments.
How the Tokyo pilot is structured
Under Japanese law, commercial passenger transport must be operated by a licensed taxi company, so Uber cannot deploy a robotaxi service in Japan without an authorized operator taking on the legal role of fleet manager. Hinomaru Kotsu will oversee depot operations, vehicle cleaning, maintenance, inspections, charging and vehicle uptime for the pilot, while Uber will provide the matching platform, operational support tools and rider app. In the initial phase, experienced Hinomaru Kotsu drivers will sit behind the wheel as safety operators before any transition to fully driverless operations, which would require additional regulatory approval.
Nissan LEAF plus Wayve AI Driver
The deal is the operational build-out of a memorandum of understanding signed on March 12, 2026 by Uber Technologies, London-based autonomous-driving startup Wayve and Nissan Motor. The Tokyo fleet will use Nissan LEAF electric vehicles fitted with Wayve's end-to-end AI Driver software, extending a partnership that already spans Europe and North America and complements Uber's recent expansions with Pony.ai and other AV operators.
Why Tokyo is the acid test
Uber global head of autonomous mobility and delivery Sarfraz Maredia called Tokyo "one of the most complex driving environments in the world," citing dense traffic, narrow streets and a strict regulatory regime for passenger transport. Hinomaru Kotsu president Kazutaka Tomita said the pilot is designed to address Japan's growing driver shortage while combining human oversight with AV technology, echoing themes from other stadium and city-scale robotaxi deployments announced this summer.
Global AV footprint expands
The Tokyo pilot is Uber's latest concrete step in scaling autonomous rides beyond the United States. In June, Stellantis, Wayve and Uber signed a non-binding MOU to explore Level 4 robotaxi services at scale across Europe, North America and other regions, and the company has been signing operator deals alongside its Waymo California rollout.
Reporting based on coverage from Uber, Hinomaru Kotsu, Just Auto and Reuters.