Japan Post to Begin Testing Self-Driving Delivery Cars Next Week - Reports

The company also envisages introducing a fleet by 2022 to overcome driver shortages, according to the agency.

Earlier in the day, Japan Post held a ceremony at its headquarters in Tokyo where it introduced a self-driving red car with the company's logo.

During the ceremony, Japan Post President Kunio Yokoyama said that it was the company's "social responsibility" to offer sustainable delivery services, adding that the introduction of self-driving vehicles was a "pressing agenda."

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13 January 2018, 17:38 GMT

During the tests, the self-driving vehicle will drive about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) from the Japan Post headquarters in the central Tokyo to a post office in the Ginza neighborhood, stopping at another post office on its way. An employee will remain in the car to ensure the demonstration goes safely, the media outlet added.

The exact date of the trial remains unknown.

In recent times, Japanese companies have been actively participating in self-driving vehicle trial projects. In August, the Japanese authorities said that self-driving taxis might be used during the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.