Self-driving tractors soon to make tracks in Japan as aging farmers face labor shortage

OSAKA – Major Japanese agricultural machinery makers are preparing to launch full-fledged sales of self-driving tractors, possibly in fiscal 2018, which starts April 1. The government plans to support the introduction of self-driving tractors amid growing hopes that such machines will help farmers cope with labor shortages at a time when many are aging and face difficulties finding successors. In June, Kubota Corp. started selling the country's first tractors with autonomous driving functions on a trial basis. Utilizing the Global Positioning System, the tractors can keep tabs on where they are operating. As the machines still need to be monitored, Kubota assumes that farmers will operate two tractors at a time, one with a driver and the other unmanned.