Alphabet’s autonomous driving unit Waymo, Japanese taxi app operator GO and taxi company Nihon Kotsu aim to launch Japan’s first fully autonomous commercial taxi service in Tokyo in 2027. The service would initially use a small fleet before expanding to about 100 vehicles across key Tokyo neighborhoods, subject to regulatory approvals and continued validation of Waymo’s technology and operating model. Once approved and fully validated, the driverless service would be accessible through both the GO and Waymo apps. Waymo Co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana said the public service would be unmanned from its launch. The initiative follows Waymo’s start of data collection in Tokyo in 2025 using human-driven Jaguar I-PACE vehicles, marking its first public-road operations outside the United States. The companies said the service could help address Japan’s driver shortage and wider population decline, while Nissan is separately developing robotaxis with British startup Wayve and Uber Technologies.