Self-drive autos aim for Tokyo Olympics
JAPANESE Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will ease regulations to allow for self-driving cars to be tested on public roads from fiscal 2017 with the aim of companies providing the service for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
Abe’s decision, which came from a meeting with the head of Toyota Motor Corp and other executives, could be a boon for Japan’s auto sector as they catch up with Google in the development of self-driving cars.
Promoting the technology could also spark innovation and capital expenditure, two elements that economists say are essential if Japan wants to break out of its decades-long cycle of bouncing in and out of recession.
“Investment holds the key to higher productivity, and based on this investment we can take the lead in sparking the next industrial revolution,” Abe said yesterday.
Toyota, Nissan Motor Co and Honda Motor Co all hope to bring a car to market around 2020 that the driver can switch to autopilot mode and want to use the Tokyo Olympics as a platform to unveil their cars of the future.
This vision should become easier to realize now that Abe has come out in support of the plan, because this commits the government to scaling back Japan’s often onerous regulations, a government official said.
The government is not planning to offer subsidies related to the development of self-driving cars, the official said.
Abe will also ease regulations to allow small drones to deliver packages in three years, which could encourage innovation in another field that Japan has lagged behind in recent years.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
- RSS
- |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证:沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证:31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证:0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证:沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证:沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.