Japan moves to revise certification rules for L4/L5 autonomous vehicles

According to a report IT之家 published on November 3, 2026, citing Nikkei Asia that morning, the Japanese government is considering revising its vehicle safety certification standards so that autonomous vehicles without a steering wheel, brake pedal, or accelerator pedal can be certified under a unified standard. The aim as described is to enable mass production of new vehicle types such as robotaxis. The proposed framework would cover two categories: L4 autonomous vehicles that can drive themselves under specified conditions, and L5 fully autonomous vehicles that do not require any human driver intervention. Prior to this change, the Japanese government had used a case-by-case approach, safety-reviewing each such vehicle individually.

On timing, the report states that a working group under Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism is scheduled to meet on November 4 to discuss the revision proposal, and that the new standard is planned to apply to vehicles produced from December onward. It also describes how autonomous vehicles would not need traditional driving equipment such as a steering wheel, pedals, side mirrors, or a driver-monitoring system, and notes the claim that removing these parts could lower manufacturing costs and free up interior space, giving automakers more room to adjust cabin layouts.

As for safety requirements, passenger-carrying vehicles such as taxis and buses would still have to undergo crash testing with dummies. Freight vehicles could be exempted from that test, but their makers would need to ensure the vehicle can avoid accidents when the system malfunctions. The report adds that the United Nations World Forum for harmonisation of vehicle regulations agreed on safety standards for driverless vehicles in June of this year, with the international standard expected to formally take effect in December, and Japan's ministry planning to revise its own standards in sync under local law. The story as reported currently stands at the point where the working group is about to meet; the proposal has not yet been formally published or put into force.