Tag - ride

 
 

RIDE

Digital minister Taro Kono rides in a car driven by a private driver using a personal vehicle in Tokyo's Edogawa Ward on Monday.
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 8, 2024
Tokyo starts ride-hailing service — but it may not be what you expect
The apps Go, Uber, S.Ride and Didi can all be used to hail private drivers alongside taxis during specific times of the day.
Uber Japan demonstrates its ride-hailing app in Tokyo's Koto Ward on Friday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 7, 2024
Uber to launch ride-hailing services in Japan
The move is designed to cope with a shortage of taxi drivers in urban areas and tourist spots in the country.
Ride-sharing apps on a smartphone. Since Monday, users have technically been able to hail private vehicles through such apps, but only in specific areas and at certain times.
BUSINESS / EXPLAINER
Apr 2, 2024
Japan has started private ride-hailing services. Here’s how they work.
Private drivers can only be called during times of high demand and in certain areas.
The transport ministry intends to partially allow ride-hailing business in some areas of Tokyo, Kyoto, Kanagawa and Aichi prefectures from April amid shortages of taxi drivers.
BUSINESS
Mar 14, 2024
Japan to allow private-driver ride-hailing services in four areas
Currently, ride-hailing apps such as Go and Uber only allow users in Japan to call registered taxis.
The local government in Kaga, Ishikawa Prefecture, and Uber Japan concluded a comprehensive tie-up agreement on Tuesday that allows the ride-sharing service to operate in the city.
BUSINESS
Mar 13, 2024
Ride-sharing starts in Ishikawa city before shinkansen extension
The service is now available at major tourist spots and residential areas between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. and in the whole of the city from 7 p.m. until 11 p.m.
Uber Japan has started discussions with partner taxi companies aiming to introduce ride-sharing services.
BUSINESS
Jan 26, 2024
Uber Japan to launch limited ride-sharing services in April
Uber Japan's new services will only be available in areas and during times of the day deemed to face a shortage of taxis.
The prefectural and municipal governments of Osaka hold a meeting in the city on Dec. 14 to discuss offering a ride-hailing service at the 2025 Osaka Expo.
JAPAN
Dec 27, 2023
Local governments in Japan eye independent ride-hailing services
Some local governments are exploring the introduction of their own systems tailored to fit local circumstances, separate from the central government.
Ride-sharing apps (clockwise from bottom) Uber, Grab, Didi and Ola Cabs are seen on a smartphone display.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 20, 2023
Japan to partially lift ban on ride-hailing services from April
Drivers will be allowed to operate in specific areas at certain times under the guidance of taxi companies when there is a lack of rides available.
Tourists get into an Uber car in San Francisco. Japan plans to allow drivers with a standard license to offer taxi services using their own vehicle amid a shortage of taxi drivers.
BUSINESS
Dec 8, 2023
Japan to allow use of private cars as taxis under certain terms
People without a license to provide driver services will be able to do so as long as they undergo prior training and are directly employed by taxi firms.
Transport ministry officials hand out fliers to arriving international visitors warning against using unlicensed taxis at Narita Airport in Chiba Prefecture in early November.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 18, 2023
Japan cracks down on illegal taxis as tourism boom drives demand
Japanese authorities are stepping up surveillance of unlicensed taxis at Narita Airport near Tokyo, as more tourists seek transport to the capital.
A poster for Uber displayed at a Tokyo subway station reads: "Meeting inbound demand together with Japan's taxis." It also notes that its service is used in 71 countries.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 26, 2023
Japan weighs allowing ride-hailing amid taxi industry opposition
The taxi industry is opposed to any change, arguing that allowing ride-hailing is just a temporary fix that will take jobs from taxi drivers.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / FOCUS
Jul 6, 2021
Didi shows all Chinese tech giants must first answer to Beijing
Over the past year, Xi Jinping's government has sought to gain control of the vast amounts of data held by large tech firms.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 5, 2021
China blocks SoftBank-backed Didi from app stores days after U.S. IPO
The surprise probe and rapid decision by China's powerful internet regulator piles on the scrutiny of Didi over issues ranging from antitrust to data security.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 27, 2021
Toyota to buy self-driving division of U.S. ride-hailing firm Lyft
The purchase via Toyota unit Woven Planet Holdings Inc. aims to accelerate the auto giant's development of autonomous driving technologies.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 15, 2021
From Harvard to Nasdaq listing: Grab CEO's ride to world's biggest SPAC deal
The CEO of Grab, a popular app to book taxis, order food and make payments in Southeast Asia, has always been determined to win — from making his firm the best-funded regional start-up to defeating behemoth Uber Technologies.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 14, 2021
‘Ride or Die’: A wild road trip worth taking
Kiko Mizuhara and Honami Sato deliver committed performances in Netflix's new emotional and sexually explicit drama about two women on the run after killing a man.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 8, 2021
Sex, murder and a getaway car: ‘Ride or Die’ stars go on the trip of a lifetime
Kiko Mizuhara and Honami Sato discuss the challenges of bringing Ching Nakamura's harrowing, sexually explicit manga to the screen in a provocative new Netflix movie.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 18, 2021
Uber's U.K. driver benefits highlight broader gig-worker challenges
Uber has said it wants to expand limited benefits similar to those offered to drivers in the U.K. across all of Europe and the United States.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 13, 2021
SoftBank sells $2 billion in Uber stock as services recover
Uber's food delivery business has surged during the pandemic, making up for losses suffered by its ride-hailing service.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 16, 2020
SoftBank’s Masayoshi Son reportedly brokering a Grab-Gojek truce
A key sticking point remains whether the two companies merge all operations or whether Grab acquires Gojek's business only in Indonesia.

Longform

Historically, kabuki was considered the entertainment of the merchant and peasant classes, a far cry from how it is regarded today.
For Japan's oldest kabuki theater, the show must go on