Uber’s global rollout of robotaxis is gathering momentum with the company confirming its first autonomous vehicle partnership in Japan.
The ride-hailing giant has signed a memorandum of understanding with local automaker Nissan and U.K.-based AI company Wayve to develop robotaxis and launch a pilot service in Tokyo, expected to be operational by the end of the year.
“The goal is to integrate Wayve’s end-to-end AI autonomous driving system into Nissan’s base vehicle [the Leaf], which can accommodate the Wayve AI Driver and connect to Uber’s ride hailing platform, matching robotaxis with individuals seeking transportation,” according to a release from the companies.
Initially, the vehicles will feature trained safety operators inside, but as is the case in the U.S, where Uber is working with other partners, including Waymo, the robotaxis will eventually drive themselves, with no human monitors on board.
Robotaxis have become a regular sight in a number of cities in the US, where Waymo is leading, and in China, where local vendors Baidu Apollo Go, Pony.ai and WeRide are among the main players. The Chinese companies have also made inroads into the Middle East.
Japan, however, has lagged a little behind until now, with Tokyo in particular recognized as a stiff challenge due to its dense traffic, complex roads, and high safety standards.
Unlike some other companies’ autonomous driving tech, Wayve’s AI Driver does not rely on HD mapping, with the vendor — which recently raised another $1.2 billion — using an end-to-end “embodied” AI approach, enabling the tech to learn more like humans and applying diversity, which means it can be used with different vehicles in different markets.
“Tokyo represents an important step forward in bringing embodied intelligence to one of the world’s most sophisticated mobility markets. We have been testing our technology throughout Japan since early 2025, building extensive experience in the country’s unique road environments,” CEO Alex Kendall said in a statement.
Partnering with Uber and Nissan to begin pilot deployment of Robotaxi allows us to introduce this technology in a responsible way, while continuing to learn and expand.”
Uber and Wayve are planning robotaxi launches in a number of locations later this year, including on the challenging roads of Wayve’s home city of London — regularly named as the one of the world’s slowest, most congested cities in traffic surveys, and behind only Colombia’s Barranquilla in 2025.
Meanwhile, also piloting its autonomous driving tech in Japan is Nvidia-backed, Silicon Valley-based Nuro.
It’s being tested in Tokyo in Toyota Prius cars, despite Nuro having had no previous experience on local roads, and Nuro says its experience there will enable future deployments elsewhere.
