Japan Post to start trial of self-driving delivery cars on public roads in Tokyo

Japan Post Co. will conduct a trial of self-driving delivery cars on public roads in Tokyo next week, with an aim of introducing a fleet of the vehicles by 2020 to cope with driver shortages. Ahead of the trial, the company held a ceremony at its headquarters in Tokyo on Wednesday and demonstrated the self-driving vehicle's capabilities on a nearby public road. Japan Post President Kunio Yokoyama said at the ceremony that the company has a "social responsibility" to offer delivery services in a sustainable manner. "The introduction of self-driving vehicles is a pressing agenda," he said. In the trial, an autonomous vehicle will depart from the company's headquarters in the central Tokyo district of Kasumigaseki and drive about 2 kilometers to a post office in the Ginza neighborhood, stopping at another post office en route.