DeNA, Yamato Transport to test self-driving delivery service

DeNA Co. and Yamato Transport Co. announced Wednesday they plan to start trials on a delivery service that will utilize self-driving vehicles. The two firms aim to start testing what they envision turning into an on-demand delivery service in March 2017 in special deregulated zones designated by the government. They have yet to decide on a location. The distribution business will drastically change with the spread of self-driving vehicles, possibly creating more services, said DeNA CEO Isao Moriyasu. For example, packages could be delivered at all hours of the day given eventually there will be no need for a driver, which would also save on labor costs, he said.