April 8, 2025
Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC)
Selection Results of Demonstration Organizations for Verifying Communication Systems contribute to Safe and Efficient Level 4 Autonomous Driving
Ten consortiums have been selected as demonstration organizations for the "Regional Community DX Promotion Package Project(Autonomous Driving Level 4 Verification)" to verification of communication systems contribute to safe and efficient level-4 autonomous driving.
1. Overview
As population decline, aging, and economic structural changes progress, it is important to solve regional issues through labor saving measures and regional revitalization via the implementation of digital technology (regional community DX) in order to create sustainable communities and realize the Regional Revitalization 2.0 initiative.
Therefore, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) is implementing the “Regional Community DX Promotion Package Project” with the aim of creating good examples for digital implementation through comprehensive measures and promoting early practical application nationwide.
As part of this project, demonstration organizations have been selected to verify the reliability of communication systems essential for ensuring safe and efficient autonomous driving , and the results have been announced as follows.
Moving forward, verification by the demonstration organizations will begin in stages, with an interim report scheduled for October 2025 and a final summary scheduled for February 2026. Details regarding the project's progress will be posted on a website to be launched by Mitsubishi Research Institute, Inc. (hereinafter referred to as “MRI”), the administrator of the “Regional Community DX Promotion Package Project (Autonomous Driving Level 4 Verification),” as they become available.
2. Selection results of demonstration organizations
* "〇" in the table indicates that it is a representative organization.
| Demonstration area | Consortium |
| Chitose City, Hokkaido | 〇NTT Communications Corporation, A-Drive Inc., DOCOMO Technology, Inc., STANLEY ELECTRIC Co., Ltd., NTT Access Network Service Systems Laboratories, Chitose Institute of Science and Technology, and Chitose City |
| Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture | 〇NTT Communications Corporation, NTT Advanced Technology Corporation, NTT DATA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT CONSULTING, Inc., Panasonic Connect Co., Ltd., DOCOMO Technology, Inc., Takeya Transportation Co., Ltd., Advanced Smart Mobility Co., Ltd., NTT DOCOMO, INC., Tohoku University, NTT Access Network Service Systems Laboratories, NTT Network Service Systems Laboratories, and Sendai City |
| Komae City, Tokyo | 〇 NIPPON TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE EAST CORPORATION, TIER IV, Inc., MAP IV, Inc., The Institute of Behavioral Sciences, OdakyuBus Co., Ltd., and Komae City |
| Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture | 〇NTT Communications Corporation, NTT Advanced Technology Corporation, NTT DATA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT CONSULTING, Inc., Stanley Electric Co., Ltd., TOKAIRIKA CO., LTD., DOCOMO Technology, Inc., Sotetsu Bus Co., Ltd., Advanced Smart Mobility Co., Ltd., NTT Access Network Service Systems Laboratories, NTT Network Service Systems Laboratories, and Yokohama City |
| Seika Town, Kyoto Prefecture | 〇AISAN TECHNOLOGY Co., Ltd., NTT Communications Corporation, Nara Kotsu Bus Lines Co., Ltd., Mobility Research Center of Doshisha University, Seika Town , and Kyoto Prefecture |
| Matsue City, Shimane Prefecture | 〇SoftBank Corp., Advanced Smart Mobility Co., Ltd., Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd., NIPPON SIGNAL CO., LTD., Matsue City Traffic Office, Ichibata Bus Co., Ltd., and Matsue City |
| Misato Town, Shimane Prefecture | 〇NIPPON TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE WEST CORPORATION, NTT Business Solutions Corporation; MACNICA, Inc., Department of Law and Economics, Faculty of Law and Literature, Shimane University; Information and Communications Committee, Chugoku Economic Federation; Misato Town, and Shimane Prefecture |
| Fukuyama City, Hiroshima Prefecture | 〇BRIDGEOVER Corporation, Nippon Mobility Inc, Fukuyama City, and Fire Department of Firefighting Union in the Fukuyama District |
| Kochi City, Kochi Prefecture | 〇NIPPON TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE WEST CORPORATION, NTT Business Solutions Corporation, MACNICA, Inc., TOSADEN TRAFFIC CO., LTD., Japanese Red Cross Kochi Hospital, AEON MALL Kochi, Shikoku Railway Company (JR Shikoku), Kochi City, and Kochi Prefecture |
| Saga City, Saga Prefecture | 〇Rakuten Mobile, Inc., Saga City Transportation Bureau, CTI Engineering Co., Ltd., Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd., Advanced Smart Mobility Co., Ltd., TOKAIRIKA CO., LTD., Institute of Science Tokyo, and Saga City |
3. For reference
The MIC has prepared a "Model Collection for Ensuring the Reliability of Communication Systems for Promotion Social Implementation of Level 4 Autonomous Driving Mobile Services" through the "Regional Digital Infrastructure Utilization Promotion Project(Autonomous Driving Level 4 Verification)" initiative implemented in FY 2024. Communities considering the introduction of autonomous driving should use this model collection as a reference to promote the social implementation of level-4 autonomous driving services. Therefore, we are actively working to raise public awareness of it.
Contact
For further information about this press release, please fill in the inquiry form and submit it to MIC on the website
https://www.soumu.go.jp/common/english_opinions.html
Global Strategy Division, Global Strategy Bureau, MIC
TEL: +81 3 5253 5920
FAX: +81 3 5253 5924