Toyota and Waymo plan to launch driverless robotaxi service in Japan starting in 2027.

Nikkei Asia, TechCrunch, JIJI Press + 5 more · Japan

31 Oct 20268 outlets

What it means

Toyota and are partnering to launch a fleet of driverless robotaxis in Japan, starting in 2027. The vehicles will be Toyota's electric SUVs, built at Toyota's Takaoka plant with Waymo's autonomous driving technology integrated on the assembly line. Initial service will begin in Tokyo, marking Waymo's first international deployment and a major step for autonomous mobility in Japan, with plans to later expand to the UK.

Accuracy & sourcesGrounded

The claim is well-sourced and consistent across multiple reputable outlets (Nikkei Asia, TechCrunch, Reuters, Kyodo News, and others), all citing official announcements from Toyota and Waymo. Waymo's own blog post confirms the plan, making the reporting close to the primary source and highly reliable.

How new

Genuinely new as of October 30, 2026, when the announcement was made and reported.

Past coverage

We covered Waymo's broader scaling plans on October 21, 2026, when it was reported that Waymo aims to have 20,000 robotaxis on the road by 2027, though that story did not specifically mention the Toyota partnership in Japan.