Japan eyes self-driving expressway lane network

The Japanese government said Thursday that it plans to create a self-driving lane on an expressway network linking the Tohoku northeastern and Kyushu southwestern regions by fiscal 2033, Report informs via Jiji Press.

The plan is part of efforts to address labor shortages and logistics bottlenecks.

An autonomous driving lane will be set up in some expressway sections, including on the Shin-Tomei Expressway, in fiscal 2024, which starts on Monday.

The government plans to extend the lane to Tohoku and some other expressways by fiscal 2026 and eventually have it link Kyushu with Tohoku.

Trucks with Level 4 autonomous driving technology, which does not require drivers under certain conditions, are expected to be mainly allowed to run on the lane.