Uber to launch 1st taxi-hailing service in Japan on Awaji Island

May 23, 2018 | News On Japan

May 23, 2018 (Kyodo) - Uber Technologies Inc. said Tuesday it will start its first taxi-hailing service in Japan this summer on a western island, targeting foreign tourists and residents, in a step toward a full-fledged entry into the country's huge taxi market.

In collaboration with the Hyogo prefectural government, the pilot project on Awaji Island will run through the end of next March by using local taxi operators invited through a tender. Users will ride the hailed taxi within the island in principle, it said. Uber, which has been in talks with over 20 taxi companies nationwide for business tie-ups, hopes the project on Awaji Island will provide insights as it looks to expand its business ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, said Brooks Entwistle, Uber's chief business officer for international operations.

Awaji Island, located about 30 minutes from Kobe in Hyogo Prefecture and within an hour from Osaka by car, has a population of around 140,000. Tourism agencies are promoting its natural environment, cuisine and hot springs.

Carlos Ghosn Says Nissan Needs Him as CEO

Former Nissan Motor Chairman Carlos Ghosn said the automaker is in a "state of emergency" and signaled he would be willing to return as chief executive officer, arguing that only a true decision-maker in the CEO role could rescue the company.

U.S. Military Returns Entire Negishi Housing Area to Japan After 79 Years

The entire Negishi Housing Area in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, has been returned to Japan for the first time in 79 years, ending its use as a residential district for U.S. military personnel and their families.

Strong Quakes Strike Japan 11 Times Since April

Strong earthquakes have continued to shake parts of Japan in recent weeks, with 11 temblors measuring lower 5 or above on the Japanese seismic intensity scale recorded across the country since April 2026.

First Train of the Day Derails at Kintetsu Kyoto Station

A Kintetsu Railway train derailed inside Kyoto Station on the morning of June 29, forcing partial suspensions on the Kintetsu Kyoto Line for the rest of the day and causing long delays that hit commuters, students and tourists.

Hikone Castle Stone Wall Collapses After Typhoon Deluge

A section of stone wall at Hikone Castle, one of Japan’s few surviving original Edo-period castles and a National Treasure whose main keep remains intact more than 400 years after its construction, collapsed after heavy rain caused by Typhoons No. 7 and No. 8, Hikone city officials said.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Society NEWS

Two Women Arrested Over Obscene Livestream From Kabukicho

Tokyo police have arrested four people, including unemployed women Mao Mizuno and Naka Namioka, on suspicion of public indecency for allegedly livestreaming obscene acts on an overseas streaming website from a hotel in Kabukicho.

Missing 10-Year-Old Boy Found Dead After Leaving Classroom

A 10-year-old boy who went missing from a special needs school in Komatsu, Ishikawa Prefecture, was found submerged in a waterfall on July 2 and later confirmed dead.

Yakuza Boss Denies Killing Gyoza President

Prosecutors sought life imprisonment for Yukio Tanaka, a senior member of a gang affiliated with the Kudo-kai crime syndicate, as his trial over the 2013 fatal shooting of Osho Food Service president Takayuki Ohigashi concluded at the Kyoto District Court, with a verdict scheduled to be handed down on October 16.

Police Set Up Kabukicho Council To Protect Toyoko Kids

Shinjuku Ward, the Tokyo metropolitan government and the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department have jointly established a Kabukicho measures council to strengthen efforts to prevent young people known as "Toyoko Kids" from being drawn into crime in Tokyo’s Shinjuku district.

Chinese Man Arrested After Speeding Porsche Hits Two Cars In Tokyo

A 23-year-old Chinese man has been arrested and sent to prosecutors on suspicion of dangerous driving resulting in injury after allegedly crashing a Porsche into two vehicles at an intersection in Tokyo’s Bunkyo Ward on June 9, leaving three people with minor injuries.