Nissan Unveils AI-Powered Prototype Car

Sep 22, 2025 | News On Japan

TOKYO - Nissan Motor unveiled an experimental vehicle equipped with autonomous driving technology powered by generative AI, showcasing a system that allows hands-free driving even on ordinary roads.

The technology integrates the latest driving support features using generative AI, supported by 11 cameras and radar sensors. The system can predict whether oncoming vehicles are approaching at intersections and assess pedestrians’ walking speed, automatically adjusting steering and braking in response.

The AI is trained on the driving techniques of skilled drivers, eliminating the need for preloaded map data. Nissan plans to introduce the technology to some mass-produced models in Japan by fiscal 2027.

Tetsuya Iijima, head of next-generation ProPILOT development at Nissan, said, "The progress of AI has far exceeded the expectations of the auto industry."

Competition in autonomous driving is intensifying, with Google-affiliated developers in the United States also beginning test runs in Tokyo to create 3D maps, among other approaches.

Source: TBS

Heatstroke Alert Issued Day After Record Rain Hits Fukui

Residents in Fukui Prefecture began clearing flood-damaged homes early on August 31 as temperatures climbed sharply following record rainfall, prompting authorities to issue a heatstroke alert while recovery work continued in severe heat.

Drones Deliver Supplies to Residents Cut Off by Landslide

Drones were used to deliver food and daily necessities to an isolated mountain community in Himi City, Toyama Prefecture, on August 30 after torrential rain triggered a landslide that cut off road access, while volunteers continued flood recovery work in neighboring Ishikawa Prefecture.

Typhoon No. 23 Overtakes No. 22 East of Japan as Both Head North

Two typhoons east of Japan were moving northward on August 30, with Typhoon No. 23 (Banlan) overtaking Typhoon No. 22 (Artau), although neither storm is expected to have a direct impact on Japan.

Nine-Minute Drone Video Shows Scale of Aeon Mall Damage

A 9-minute, 13-second drone video filmed inside Aeon Mall Kumamoto two days after the deadly explosion has provided a detailed view of the destruction, showing collapsed ceilings, heavy dust and widespread damage that may have affected between one-third and nearly half of the shopping center.

Conditions Ease as Typhoon No. 18 Passes Okinawa

Strong Typhoon No. 18 was moving northwest through the East China Sea on the night of August 26, gradually pulling away from Okinawa and the Amami Islands as lingering rain, strong winds and high waves were expected to ease. As of 9 p.m. on August 26, the typhoon was over waters north-northwest of Kume Island and moving northwest.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Web3 NEWS

Inconvenient Convenience Store Gives Lessons in AI

Meta has opened an interactive event in Tokyo's Shibuya district that deliberately makes convenience-store shopping difficult, using the unusual setting to demonstrate how artificial intelligence could make everyday tasks easier.

Five Japanese Companies Launch Physical AI Data Collection Center

Major pharmaceutical company Tsumura and four other companies began full-scale operations on August 26 at a joint data collection center designed to develop "physical AI," technology that enables artificial intelligence to autonomously control robots in manufacturing and other workplaces.

SoftBank Plans Massive Retail Bond Sale to Fund AI Investment

SoftBank Group announced on August 24 that it will issue 1 trillion yen in unsecured corporate bonds for individual investors, in what is set to be its largest such offering.

Japanese Companies Bet on Autonomous Ships and AI Interviewers

Japanese companies and venture investors are stepping up efforts to commercialize technologies that could transform shipping and recruitment, with Mitsui O.S.K. Lines pursuing fully autonomous operation of giant cargo vessels while startup Calaris develops an interactive AI interviewer designed to uncover abilities that conventional job applications may miss.

Publishers Shift Strategy in AI Era

Japanese online publishing platform note is using artificial intelligence to review its management meetings and analyze company-wide activity as it prepares for a future in which AI increasingly determines what information, products and services people discover online.