Japan Steals a March on AV Market if Level 4 becomes Legal – TU Automotive

Legalizing Level 4 autonomous driving could place Japan in pole position to lead the world in advancing the rollout of the technology. The nation's National Police Agency has announced that it aims to create a legal framework for Level 4 self-driving cars operating within limited areas. This move follows Germany's push to lead the way in Europe allowing Level 3 automated driving by changing federal legislation in summer, a move that echoed Japan's own change of law to allow Level 3 driving for the Honda Legend sedan in April 2021. These changes in law allow the disconnection of the human driver from mission critical operations during certain portions of a journey when the automated functions are activated. The latest move, If approved by the legislators in Japan, should lead to the commercialization of Level 4 self-driving cars in shared mobility, where vehicles can operate without human interaction.