THE JAPAN NEWS




 

A Nagoya-based IT company developing autonomous driving technology and four other companies have begun demonstrating a self-driving taxi in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo, on Thursday.

The test is being conducted with the use of the 5G communication standard, which is capable of handling massive data throughput at ultra-fast speeds with near-zero latency — a combination seen as a necessity in making self-driving vehicles with remote monitoring on public roads feasible.

In the experiment, a taxi, which was monitored from a distant building, drove on a public road in the Nishi-Shinjuku area without a driver. Tokyo Vice Gov. Manabu Miyasaka who was sitting in the backseat during the experiment, said, “There was no uncomfortable feeling in the ride and I felt secure.”