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Japan automated-driving framework (Road Traffic Act amendments)

Japan's automated-driving legal framework under amendments to the Road Traffic Act, administered by the National Police Agency (permissions via prefectural Public Safety Commissions). The 2019 amendment authorized Level 3 conditional automated driving (effective 1 April 2020); the 2022 amendment (Act No. 32) authorized Level 4 'specified automated operation' - driverless, remote-supervised operation with no in-vehicle driver (effective 1 April 2023), with the first L4 approval granted to a low-speed service in Eiheiji, Fukui Prefecture on 11 May 2023. The framework is vehicle-class-general (covers shuttles/buses; first deployments are low-speed shuttles).

Jurisdiction: Japan · Effective 2020-04-01

Machine-readable surfaces

Sources (5)

  1. https://www.npa.go.jp/english/bureau/traffic/selfdriving.html
  2. https://www.meti.go.jp/english/press/2023/0512_002.html
  3. https://www.meti.go.jp/english/press/2023/0331_003.html
  4. https://www.nagashima.com/en/publications/publication20221215-2/
  5. https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=fa274056-aa09-4dec-ba86-7752757f9a51

Status history

  • In effect · 2023-04-01 · editor:DEPLOY content-agent (Sprint 5c-2 Asia regs)

    Japan Road Traffic Act 2022 amendment (Act No. 32) authorized Level 4 'specified automated operation' (driverless, remote-supervised), effective 1 April 2023; first approval Eiheiji May 11, 2023.

  • In effect · 2020-04-01 · editor:DEPLOY content-agent (Sprint 5c-2 Asia regs)

    Japan Road Traffic Act 2019 amendment authorized Level 3 conditional automated driving, effective 1 April 2020.

Common questions

What does Japan automated-driving framework (Road Traffic Act amendments) cover?
Japan's automated-driving legal framework under amendments to the Road Traffic Act, administered by the National Police Agency (permissions via prefectural Public Safety Commissions). The 2019 amendment authorized Level 3 conditional automated driving (effective 1 April 2020); the 2022 amendment (Act No. 32) authorized Level 4 'specified automated operation' - driverless, remote-supervised operation with no in-vehicle driver (effective 1 April 2023), with the first L4 approval granted to a low-speed service in Eiheiji, Fukui Prefecture on 11 May 2023. The framework is vehicle-class-general (covers shuttles/buses; first deployments are low-speed shuttles).
Where does Japan automated-driving framework (Road Traffic Act amendments) apply?
Japan automated-driving framework (Road Traffic Act amendments) is recorded as a other applying in Japan on the DEPLOY registry.
When did Japan automated-driving framework (Road Traffic Act amendments) take effect?
Japan automated-driving framework (Road Traffic Act amendments) is recorded as effective April 1, 2020 on the DEPLOY registry.
Is Japan automated-driving framework (Road Traffic Act amendments) still in effect?
Japan automated-driving framework (Road Traffic Act amendments) is currently in effect and applies to covered operators in the named jurisdiction.
What types of robots does Japan automated-driving framework (Road Traffic Act amendments) apply to?
Japan automated-driving framework (Road Traffic Act amendments) is recorded as applying to autonomous vehicles on the DEPLOY registry.
Methodology: Verified · 5 sources (no primary) · last reviewed 2026-05-31

Verification posture

Verified

Low confidence

Review state

Stable

Last reviewed 2026-05-31

Architectural position

Cohort: av

Sources by quality tier

5
unclassified
Unclassified source

The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.

Methodology surface for Japan automated-driving framework (Road Traffic Act amendments).

Canonical ID 122cbae6-db09-4ce5-a040-209d3c885e04