Japan hopes to have self-driving car guidelines drafted in fiscal 2017

The government plans to compile guidelines for self-driving cars in fiscal 2017 starting in April as it prepares to rework the existing legal framework ahead of the rollout of such vehicles, officials said Thursday. Japan is seeking to promote the spread of automated driving in the run-up to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, and needs to address legal issues and set new safety regulations. Among potential changes, the government needs to define liability in the event of an accident involving a self-driving car. Based on the guidelines, Tokyo plans to formulate necessary legislative revisions and have them passed during the regular Diet session in 2019. "We will aim to address labor shortages in rural areas and help people with mobility difficulties by introducing automated driving that does not need human drivers by 2020," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told members of a government panel on future investment.