Society | Nov 06

Driverless taxi takes to Tokyo streets

Nov 06 (NHK) - A driverless taxi took to the streets of Tokyo on Thursday, giving a possible glimpse of the future on a short demonstration trip.

Telecom giant KDDI and four other firms developed the self-driving cab which uses next-generation 5G technology to boost safety.

Tokyo's vice governor and other passengers rode 200 meters on public roads in the central district of Shinjuku.

The car uses 5G to send live images of its surroundings to a remote monitoring center.

One of the firms involved said that helps keep the vehicle safe even in heavy traffic.

The companies are revving up for more demonstrations around the country before a full launch further down the road.


MORE Society NEWS

There have been multiple reports of a mysterious black animal in downtown Tokyo, with the enigmatic creature captured on video looking around nervously before noticing the camera and staring it down for about 15 seconds, then running away.

A former host admitted to knowingly receiving approximately 25 million yen that had been deceitfully obtained by convicted scammer "Riri-chan," in a trial held on April 23.

Osaka City has issued an administrative order to stop feeding pigeons and crows following continuous complaints about droppings and noise.

POPULAR NEWS

Japanese company Smile-Up, the former talent agency known as Johnny & Associates, says it has sent a letter of protest to Britain's public broadcaster BBC over its program on sexual abuse by its late founder. (NHK)

A private organization has revealed that approximately 40% of the national municipalities, totaling 744, could potentially disappear by 2050 due to declining populations.

Youngsters in Japan are enthusiastically embracing the world of cosmetics, with a recent survey reporting some 60% of elementary students own some form of makeup.

Major American IT companies like Microsoft and Oracle have announced substantial investments totalling 4 trillion yen ($26 billion) in data centers in Japan, sparking concerns about digital sovereignty and AI development.

A former host admitted to knowingly receiving approximately 25 million yen that had been deceitfully obtained by convicted scammer "Riri-chan," in a trial held on April 23.

FOLLOW US