Japan Road-Vehicle Cooperative Systems Advance Level 4 Tests

MLIT Selects Three Companies for Road-Vehicle Testing

Japan Road-Vehicle Cooperative Systems testing is being prepared by Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) on the Tohoku Expressway to evaluate information sharing between road infrastructure and vehicles. MLIT announced on September 25 that it selected Subaru Corporation, T2 Inc., and Yamato Transport Co Ltd as test vehicle collaborators following a public solicitation conducted from July 1 through July 31. Subaru will participate with passenger cars, while T2 and Yamato Transport will use trucks. The demonstration is intended to support future development toward Level 4 autonomous driving under defined operating conditions.

Subaru Will Evaluate Merging and Hazard Information

Subaru Corporation will examine how road-vehicle cooperative information can assist passenger cars during merging maneuvers on the Tohoku Expressway. The company will also assess the benefits of receiving advance information about hazards that can affect vehicle operation, including fallen objects and traffic restrictions associated with construction activity. These evaluations are designed to determine whether information supplied through cooperation between road infrastructure and vehicles can provide useful support during situations requiring drivers or automated systems to respond to changing roadway conditions.

T2 and Yamato Transport to Assess Autonomous Truck Support

T2 Inc. and Yamato Transport Co Ltd will focus their evaluations on infrastructure-based support for autonomous trucks. Their testing will include remote monitoring capabilities intended to support truck operations within the demonstration environment. The evaluations will examine how road infrastructure and related information services can contribute to autonomous vehicle operations. T2 and Yamato Transport are participating with trucks, creating a test scope that complements Subaru’s passenger-car evaluation and allows the demonstration to examine cooperative information provision across both passenger and commercial vehicle applications.

Tohoku Expressway Test Area and Schedule

The planned demonstration will take place on the Tohoku Expressway between Sano Service Area and Otani Parking Area. MLIT has not yet finalized the start date, while the overall test period, including verification and evaluation activities, is expected to continue through the end of fiscal year 2027, corresponding to the end of March 2028. The extended evaluation period will provide the participating organizations with time to conduct the demonstration and assess the effectiveness of road-vehicle cooperative information provision systems in the specified operating environment.

Level 4 Autonomous Driving Development Focus

The demonstration is part of MLIT’s effort to evaluate road-vehicle cooperation as Japan works toward future Level 4 autonomous driving applications. The planned assessments cover both passenger-car support functions and infrastructure-assisted autonomous truck operations, giving the program a broader focus than a single vehicle application. The results are expected to provide evidence on how information from roadway infrastructure can support vehicle operation, including merging assistance, advance hazard awareness, construction-related traffic information, and remote monitoring for autonomous trucks within the tested environment.

Industry Impact & Outlook

The demonstration could provide practical evidence for how infrastructure-based information services can complement vehicle automation across passenger cars and commercial trucks in Japan. Its results may be relevant to automakers, autonomous-driving developers, logistics operators, and transportation authorities evaluating the requirements for wider deployment of cooperative systems. The involvement of Subaru, T2, and Yamato Transport also places passenger and truck applications within the same testing framework. The next key steps are the finalization of the start date, execution of the road tests, and verification of results through the planned March 2028 endpoint.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Japan testing on the Tohoku Expressway?
The demonstration will evaluate road-vehicle cooperative information systems that provide vehicles with information from roadway infrastructure. Subaru will test passenger-car applications involving merging assistance and advance hazard information, while T2 Inc. and Yamato Transport will evaluate infrastructure-based support for autonomous trucks. The program is intended to assess whether cooperative information provision can support future Level 4 autonomous driving under defined conditions. The test area covers the Tohoku Expressway between Sano Service Area and Otani Parking Area, with the start date still being finalized by MLIT.

Frequently Asked Questions

When will the Tohoku Expressway demonstration run?
MLIT has not yet finalized the start date for the demonstration, but the planned test period, including verification and evaluation, is expected to continue until the end of fiscal year 2027, or the end of March 2028. The program follows MLIT’s public solicitation for road-vehicle cooperative testing on the Tohoku Expressway conducted from July 1 through July 31. Subaru, T2 Inc., and Yamato Transport were selected as the participating test vehicle collaborators for the planned demonstration.