TOKYO, Japan — October 7, 2026 —
RoboTruck Inc., a developer of autonomous driving systems for heavy-duty trucks, has opened a new base in Keihanna Science City, Kyoto Prefecture, as its Kansai-side hub for long-distance test runs between the Kanto and Kansai regions. Building on its demonstrations between Kanto and Chubu, the company is now launching full-scale long-distance testing toward the deployment of Level 4 autonomous trucks connecting the two regions within FY2028.
Track Record and Current Initiatives
RoboTruck is a Japanese technology company pioneering autonomous driving systems for heavy-duty trucks, offering "autonomous transportation operations led by logistics operators themselves" as a solution to the logistics crisis known as the "2024 Problem."
In May this year, the company successfully completed a 260-km hands-free driving test on the main lanes of highways between Kanagawa and Aichi (Press release and video available here).
Following its selection last year, RoboTruck has again been selected for the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's (MLIT) "FY2026 Project for Supporting the Implementation of Autonomous Trucks" as part of multiple consortia and is expanding its driving test area to cover the route between Kanto and Kansai.
Overview of the Kansai Base
Location：Part of the Kyoto Prefecture portion of Keihanna Science City, one of Japan's largest science cities
Purpose of Use：Testing hub on the Kansai-side origin/destination base for long-distance test runs between Kanto and Kansai; collection and analysis of driving data
As noted in the Kyoto Prefecture Comprehensive Plan's "Vision for Advanced Movement of People and Goods Leveraging the Shin-Meishin Expressway," the areas around the Joyo JCT/IC and Yawata-Kyotanabe JCT/IC in southern Kyoto are drawing expectations as new hubs for trunk-line freight ahead of the expressway's full opening. They are also among the leading candidate areas for logistics companies considering the introduction of autonomous trucks.
RoboTruck will use Keihanna Science City — which offers excellent transport access from the Joyo and Yawata-Kyotanabe areas — as its Kansai origin/destination hub to conduct long-distance test driving between Kanto and Kansai. In addition to verifying the stable operation of the autonomous driving system and its handling of complex traffic scenarios as the driving area expands, RoboTruck plans to identify operational challenges in the arrival, departure, and trailer swapping of autonomous trucks.
Furthermore, The base will also support projects under MLIT's "FY2026 Project for Supporting the Implementation of Autonomous Trucks," for which RoboTruck has been selected as part of a consortium.
Comments
Takatoshi Nishiwaki, Governor of Kyoto Prefecture
"We sincerely welcome RoboTruck Inc.'s opening of a new base in Keihanna Science City.
We believe RoboTruck, a developer of homegrown autonomous truck technology, chose Keihanna for its new base because it valued the city's research and development environment and its potential as a real-world testing ground, along with its extensive transportation network, including access to the Shin-Meishin Expressway.
As Japan's population shrinks and its society ages, the shortage of drivers needed to keep regional public transportation and logistics running has become a major social issue. To address it, Kyoto is currently testing and deploying cutting-edge mobility technologies, including field trials in Keihanna aimed at the social implementation of Level 4 autonomous buses. RoboTruck shares these aspirations, and we hope the company will contribute to building a sustainable logistics system through the real-world deployment of advanced technologies. We believe it will play a vital role as one of the key players in the development of Keihanna's mobility sector.
Kyoto will further promote collaboration among industry, academia, government, and residents. Through these efforts, we will put Keihanna's research outcomes into practice and apply them to a wide range of social issues. We aim to roll out this model across Kyoto and spread it throughout Japan."
Yusuke Haga, CEO, RoboTruck Inc.
" I am delighted to be working with Kyoto, my hometown, to address the driver shortage, a pressing social issue. Our entire team is united in making the future of autonomous trucking that everyone envisions a reality, and in contributing to Kyoto and Japan as a whole. "
About Keihanna Science City
Keihanna Science City (Official Name: Kansai Science City / Kansai Culture, Academy and Research City) is a science city being developed under the Kansai Science City Construction Act across the lush green Keihanna hills spanning Kyoto, Osaka, and Nara.
Positioned as a national project alongside Tsukuba Science City in the east, it encompasses a total area of approximately 15,000 hectares, within which 12 Cultural, Academic and Research Zones (approx. 3,600 ha) are distributed. Located within a 30 km radius of central Kyoto and Osaka, and 10 km from central Nara, it currently houses over 160 research facilities, universities, and cultural institutions, with approximately 12,000 researchers and staff across these facilities.
Official Website: https://www.kri.or.jp/know/
About RoboTruck
Company Name: RoboTruck Inc.
Headquarters: 2F Shimbashi Park Place, 5-27-1 Shimbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Representative: Yusuke Haga, Representative Director and CEO
Established: April 2024
Business: Research and development of autonomous driving systems for heavy-duty trucks
Media Contact
Business Development and Public Relations Division, RoboTruck Inc.
Email: info@robotruck.jp