Japan reports first COVID-19 death as three more domestic infection cases logged
A woman in her 80s infected with the new coronavirus died Thursday, becoming the country's first confirmed fatality related to COVID-19.
Major taxi operator Nihon Kotsu Co. and information technology firm DeNA Co. will integrate their taxi-hailing app businesses April 1. With their integrated services, over 100,000 taxis will be available for hailing, the companies said Tuesday. The integration is intended to increase cost competitiveness, improve customer ...
Tokyo's taxi drivers brush up their English to cash in on Olympics
"There are many ways to ask your passengers to fasten their seat belts. The easiest is to say, 'Seat belt please,' but you should never add the word 'take' as it then means you want that to be stolen," an English teacher said in ...
Toyota Motor Co. is investing $394 million (¥43.3 billion) in Joby Aviation, one of a handful of companies working toward the seemingly implausible goal of making electric air taxis that shuttle people over gridlocked highways and city streets. Toyota is the lead investor in Joby's ...
Japan considers law requiring local governments to fill transport gaps in rural areas
The transport ministry is considering a new system to help maintain public transport services in nonurban areas at a time when the population has been declining. The system will call on governments to create plans for securing means of public transportation and seek new service ...
Dara Khosrowshahi, the CEO of U.S. ride-hailing company Uber Technologies Inc., expressed interest on Wednesday in expanding partnerships with Japanese taxi companies. Uber's ride-hailing service is available in many countries, but unlicensed taxi services are banned in Japan. Khosrowshahi said at an event held in New ...
Creating a barrier-free transportation environment in Japan
Not too long ago, domestic media organizations would rarely have anything negative to say about the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, but as the actual games draw nearer, there's been a greater willingness to find fault with preparations and even raise a bit of alarm. Everything ...
Getting around Japan: All about taxis
Japan is renowned for having one of the most efficient public transport networks in the world. Punctuality and regular services, particularly within the rail network, make it easy to get around even Japan’s biggest cities. Public transport is also usually the most cost-effective transportation method, ...
DiDi Mobility Japan Corp. began offering its taxi-hailing service, used via smartphones, in Aichi Prefecture on Wednesday. Aichi is the ninth area in Japan where the service, offered by the Tokyo-based joint venture between SoftBank Corp. and Chinese ride-hailing giant DiDi Chuxing, is available. The ...
Toyota to set up joint venture with Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing, investing ¥64.8 billion
Toyota Motor Corp. said Thursday it will set up a joint venture with Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing Technology Co. and invest a total of ¥64.8 billion ($600 million) in Didi and the new venture, as part of efforts to expand its business in ...
Japan's labor crunch provides opportunities for more women to take the wheel
From moving companies to taxi and train operators, Japanese firms have been recruiting more female drivers amid a serious labor shortage that is hitting the service sector particularly hard. But taking steps to support female drivers has become a critical challenge for companies, as many ...
Costly cabs: Japanese taxis have second-highest fares worldwide, research finds
Well-dressed and sporting jackets and white gloves, Japanese taxi drivers chauffeur locals and tourists to their destinations in comfortable, air-conditioned cars with doors that open automatically. But comfort comes at a steep price: Japan has the second-highest taxi fares in the world. According to research commissioned ...
