Self-driving era beckons as cars boost their street cred

With tech already proving its worth, automakers are set for large-scale rollout

One researcher at Gunma University likens the development of autonomous driving technology to laying invisible railway tracks on roads.

ITSURO FUJINO, Nikkei staff writer

January 17, 2018 11:30 JST

TOKYO -- Self-driving technology has been sparking both excitement and foreboding in the auto industry for a few years now. U.S. companies such as Google-affiliated Waymo and car-hailing app Uber Technologies have been getting most of the press recently, but the technology is about to take off in Japan as well.

The Center for Research on Adoption of NextGen Transportation Systems, a unit of Gunma University, has been testing an experimental self-driving car in Kiryu, a city in Gunma Prefecture known for its textile industry.