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Japan works to launch self-driving car system by 2020

Tokyo's roads might see automated cars ahead of the 2020 Olympics.

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seankeane
Sean Keane Former Senior Writer
Sean knows far too much about Marvel, DC and Star Wars, and poured this knowledge into recaps and explainers on CNET. He also worked on breaking news, with a passion for tech, video game and culture.
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Sean Keane
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe Press Conference

The plan to get a self-driving car system on public roads in 2020 was revealed at a government strategic review chaired by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

 Lintao Zhang / Getty Images

Japan is pushing to test a self-driving car system on public roads this fiscal year.

The plan was revealed at a government strategic review chaired by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday, Reuters reports, with the goal of launching the service publicly for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

After this, the government will work to commercialize the driverless car system by 2022.

A Japanese conglomerate -- SoftBank Group -- has teamed up with General Motors to develop self-driving cars , with a $2.25 billion investment into GM Cruise Holdings, the Detroit carmaker's autonomous technology division.

In the US, California regulators on Friday announced two pilot programs that allow transportation companies operating autonomous vehicles to provide rides to the public.