After six years in Japan, Uber Technologies Inc. has finally come to Tokyo.
Starting Friday, users in the Japanese capital can hail taxis using the Uber app. Uber is partnering with three local taxi operators to make 600 cars available primarily in the city’s central business district and the popular areas of Shinagawa, Akihabara and Asakusa.
The San Francisco-based company has done things a little differently in the world’s third-largest economy, which has strict regulations covering ride-sharing. It has focused on growing its food-delivery business, which now encompasses about 25,000 restaurants in 20 prefectures. For rides, it has built partnerships with taxi companies in provincial cities, including the popular tourist destinations of Kyoto, Osaka and Hiroshima. In Tokyo, its offering had been limited to black-car hires till now.