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Toyota invests $500 mil. in Uber

Aug 29 (NHK) - Toyota Motor said it will invest 500 million dollars in US ride-hailing company Uber to help develop self-driving vehicles.

Toyota said the investment will advance the companies' partnership as competition intensifies in the race to commercialize self-driving vehicles.

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi says the partnership is a natural fit and signals a commitment to developing world-class technologies.

In a related move, four auto-parts makers in the Toyota group will form a joint venture to develop software for self-driving vehicles.

Denso President & CEO Koji Arima says, "The 4 companies will combine know-how to help promote self-driving technology that allows safe and secure transportation for everyone."

The parts makers say the JV will supply its software to Toyota and other carmakers in Japan and overseas.

Toyota Motor has said it aims to commercialize auto-driving technology for expressways by 2020.

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Ishiba Shigeru has been elected leader of Japan's main ruling Liberal Democratic Party. The former LDP Secretary-General is now virtually assured of becoming the next prime minister. (NHK)

The Hakamada case, a decades-long legal struggle, ended with an acquittal for Iwao Hakamada (88), who, along with his sister Hideko, fought for 58 years. Hakamada was suspected of the 1966 murder of a miso company executive’s family.

A Japanese government information-gathering satellite has successfully been put into a planned orbit around Earth. (NHK)

Japan's National Police Agency is introducing new patrol cars equipped with red lights designed to assist people with hearing impairments, flashing differently depending on whether the vehicle is on an emergency run or a routine patrol.

Yamagata University, which has been conducting research on the Nazca geoglyphs in Peru, announced the discovery of over 300 new geoglyphs, depicting a variety of subjects, including humans and animals.

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Four Japanese men have been caught at an Australian airport on suspicion of trying to smuggle a large amount of cigarettes into the country. (NHK)

Japan's National Police Agency is introducing new patrol cars equipped with red lights designed to assist people with hearing impairments, flashing differently depending on whether the vehicle is on an emergency run or a routine patrol.

The former representative of the martial arts event company 'Breaking Down,' Yugo Itagaki, along with two other individuals, has been arrested by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police on charges of defrauding a company executive out of 80 million yen.

Strange incidents involving a woman placing black tape on outlets have been occurring around zoos in the Izu area of Shizuoka Prefecture.

As the number of households with Buddhist altars continues to decline, largely due to space limitations in modern housing, wholesalers of Buddhist goods are struggling with unsold inventory.

Twelve individuals involved in the traditional 'Ageuma Shinji' horse event held last year at Tado Shrine in Kuwana City, Mie Prefecture, have been referred to prosecutors on allegations of violent behavior toward horses, including forcing them up steep slopes.

A 39-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attacking a female university student by covering her head with a bag and attempting to strangle her.

A group of Humboldt penguins at Tokuyama Zoo in Yamaguchi Prefecture has captured people's hearts, as they chase a butterfly that had accidentally flown into their pool enclosure.