Waymo expands in Japan
Waymo is detailing a Japan expansion for ride-hailing operations, leveraging more than 300M km of driving data and local partnerships to scale services in-market. The move reflects AV operators leaning on massive geographic datasets and local ties to accelerate deployment. (x.com)
Waymo’s Japan landing page lists “300 million+ kilometers on public roads,” and it says the service now delivers roughly 250,000 trips per week across more than 15 U.S. cities. (waymo.com) The program began public-road runs in Tokyo the week of April 14, 2025, with Nihon Kotsu taxi drivers operating Waymo vehicles manually to gather local driving data ahead of autonomous operation. (nihon-kotsu-taxi.jp) Waymo shipped a 25‑vehicle fleet of all‑electric Jaguar I‑PACE cars to Tokyo for the mapping phase, and those vehicles are being upfitted and depot‑managed locally by Nihon Kotsu. (engadget.com; yomiuri.co.jp) (engadget.com) The initial runs are focused on seven central Tokyo wards — Minato, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Chiyoda, Chūō, Shinagawa and Kōtō — to create high‑definition 3D maps and to collect data on left‑hand traffic patterns and dense urban interactions. (waymo.com) Waymo pairs that real‑world data with large‑scale simulation, promoting a “Waymo World Model” generative simulator the company described in February 2026 to train and validate behavior across billions of virtual miles. (waymo.com) The local commercial strategy names GO (the GO ride‑hail app) as the platform partner while Nihon Kotsu provides driver training, fleet maintenance and liaison with regulators, and the partners have discussed integrations with rail/payment systems such as JR East’s Suica. (goinc.jp)
