{"id":"122cbae6-db09-4ce5-a040-209d3c885e04","slug":"japan-av-framework","kind":"other","headline":"Japan automated-driving framework (Road Traffic Act amendments)","summary":"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).","locationId":"94b72ada-cafc-4321-a524-cb8e576bb849","effectiveAt":"2020-04-01T12:00:00.000Z","expiresAt":null,"reviewStatus":"reviewed","formFactors":["av"],"aliases":["Japan Road Traffic Act automated driving","specified automated operation","Japan L4 framework"],"collisionRisk":"none","reviewNote":null,"createdAt":"2026-05-31T14:45:22.456Z","updatedAt":"2026-05-31T14:45:22.456Z","location":{"id":"94b72ada-cafc-4321-a524-cb8e576bb849","name":"Japan","slug":"japan","kind":"country","parentLocationId":null,"lat":null,"lng":null,"reviewStatus":"reviewed","aliases":[],"collisionRisk":"high","reviewNote":null,"createdAt":"2026-05-31T14:45:15.579Z","updatedAt":"2026-05-31T14:45:15.579Z"},"derived":{"status":"in_effect"},"sources":[{"id":"e7ad619d-0594-4cea-893a-bd1981472e90","regulationId":"122cbae6-db09-4ce5-a040-209d3c885e04","url":"https://www.npa.go.jp/english/bureau/traffic/selfdriving.html","label":null,"publishedAt":null,"notes":null,"title":"Automated driving (Japan National Police Agency; L3 2020, L4 Act No. 32 2023)","sourceName":"Japan National Police Agency (official)","mediaType":"article","videoId":null,"channel":null,"durationSec":null,"timestampSec":null,"createdAt":"2026-05-31T14:45:22.990Z","updatedAt":"2026-05-31T14:45:22.990Z"},{"id":"62cda1af-5a3f-478d-90ab-c61843ed80d7","regulationId":"122cbae6-db09-4ce5-a040-209d3c885e04","url":"https://www.meti.go.jp/english/press/2023/0512_002.html","label":null,"publishedAt":null,"notes":null,"title":"First Level 4 automated-driving approval (Eiheiji) (May 11, 2023)","sourceName":"METI (official)","mediaType":"article","videoId":null,"channel":null,"durationSec":null,"timestampSec":null,"createdAt":"2026-05-31T14:45:23.065Z","updatedAt":"2026-05-31T14:45:23.065Z"},{"id":"5587ae7b-53f6-4bd0-b478-78c16c743fbd","regulationId":"122cbae6-db09-4ce5-a040-209d3c885e04","url":"https://www.meti.go.jp/english/press/2023/0331_003.html","label":null,"publishedAt":null,"notes":null,"title":"Level 4 automated-driving system approval (Mar 2023)","sourceName":"METI (official)","mediaType":"article","videoId":null,"channel":null,"durationSec":null,"timestampSec":null,"createdAt":"2026-05-31T14:45:23.149Z","updatedAt":"2026-05-31T14:45:23.149Z"},{"id":"1cca6a8d-7521-4ca9-bd13-6e2ae8398004","regulationId":"122cbae6-db09-4ce5-a040-209d3c885e04","url":"https://www.nagashima.com/en/publications/publication20221215-2/","label":null,"publishedAt":null,"notes":null,"title":"Japan Level 4 automated-driving rulemaking analysis","sourceName":"Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu","mediaType":"article","videoId":null,"channel":null,"durationSec":null,"timestampSec":null,"createdAt":"2026-05-31T14:45:23.227Z","updatedAt":"2026-05-31T14:45:23.227Z"},{"id":"0cf31aed-9a77-4d59-b73b-f9a4312ed5c1","regulationId":"122cbae6-db09-4ce5-a040-209d3c885e04","url":"https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=fa274056-aa09-4dec-ba86-7752757f9a51","label":null,"publishedAt":null,"notes":null,"title":"Japan autonomous-driving regulatory overview","sourceName":"Lexology (City-Yuwa)","mediaType":"article","videoId":null,"channel":null,"durationSec":null,"timestampSec":null,"createdAt":"2026-05-31T14:45:23.305Z","updatedAt":"2026-05-31T14:45:23.305Z"}],"statusEvents":[{"id":"5a1a1282-b207-40bf-9deb-c54947abdc6f","regulationId":"122cbae6-db09-4ce5-a040-209d3c885e04","status":"in_effect","reason":"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.","source":"editor:DEPLOY content-agent (Sprint 5c-2 Asia regs)","effectiveAt":"2023-04-01T12:00:00.000Z","createdAt":"2026-05-31T14:45:23.466Z"},{"id":"b482196c-f623-403a-81c6-30b9e8e104e3","regulationId":"122cbae6-db09-4ce5-a040-209d3c885e04","status":"in_effect","reason":"Japan Road Traffic Act 2019 amendment authorized Level 3 conditional automated driving, effective 1 April 2020.","source":"editor:DEPLOY content-agent (Sprint 5c-2 Asia regs)","effectiveAt":"2020-04-01T12:00:00.000Z","createdAt":"2026-05-31T14:45:23.385Z"}]}