Japan Auto Safety Standards to Cover Self-Driving Devices

Tokyo, March 8 (Jiji Press)--The Japanese government on Friday adopted a bill to add equipment necessary for self-driving, including cameras and radars to monitor surrounding traffic, to the scope of vehicle safety standards. The addition is aimed at preparing for the wider use of self-driving technology. The bill also calls for granting special certification to operators of auto safety inspection business capable of undertaking maintenance work for self-driving equipment. Currently, the certification is limited to operators that can check brakes, engines and some other parts. According to the bill to revise the road transport vehicle law, the government would legally require automakers to provide the technical information needed for inspections of self-driving equipment. The government aims to realize Level 3 self-driving, in which the driver controls the vehicle in emergencies, on expressways around 2020. Also expected around 2020 is the introduction of Level 4 automated driving, which does not require a driver in the vehicle, for transportation services in limited places including sparsely-populated areas. In the wake of cheating in automakers' preshipment inspections of finished vehicles, the bill calls for allowing the government to order problem automakers to take corrective action, virtually preventing them from mass production until corrective measures are taken. The government also adopted a civil aviation law revision bill to strengthen safety measures for drones, including a ban on flying them under the influence of alcohol and mandatory preflight inspections. Operators who fly drones weighing at least 200 grams when they might not be able to operate the unmanned aircraft properly could face up to one year in prison or a fine of up to 300,000 yen, according to the bill. END