Japanese railway operators have begun to make full-fledged efforts to introduce self-driving trains.
Railway firms previously avoided implementing such technologies on existing train lines due to safety risks, but they are now facing the need to streamline operations as Japan's falling population gradually shrinks the pool of potential drivers.
Central Japan Railway Co., or JR Central, said in March that it will introduce train cars equipped with automatic train operation, or ATO, technology in stages on its Tokaido Shinkansen bullet train line from around 2028.