April 15, 2026
Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications Selection Results of Demonstration Organizations for Verifying Communication Systems contribute to Safe and Efficient Level 4 Autonomous Driving

　Twelve 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.

Note: The published materials are in Japanese only.

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 local communities and achieve a robust regional economy.

　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 such as support for securing digital talent and organizational structures, demonstrations of advanced solutions (including AI and autonomous driving) and cutting-edge communication systems, and subsidies for regional communication infrastructure development.

　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 2026 and a final summary scheduled for February 2027. 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.

■Details on progress (The MRI website can be found below.)

URL：https://pubpjt.mri.co.jp/pjt_related/rcsad-info/index.html

2　 Selection Results of Demonstration Organizations

Demonstration area	Representative Organization	Overview of the Demonstration
Chitose City, Hokkaido	NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS, Inc.	Demonstration to enhance the flexibility of autonomous driving through automated decision-making on snow-covered and icy roads, as well as vehicle-infrastructure cooperative merging assistance in congested airport environments
Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture	NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS, Inc.	Demonstration to enhanced autonomous vehicle control and operational decision-making by leveraging external environmental data, such as road conditions, weather, and traffic signals, while ensuring stable communication through multi-carrier networks and NTN
Hitachi City, Ibaraki Prefecture	KDDI CORPORATION	Demonstration to enhance existing infrastructure efficiency and reduce initial costs by maximizing 5G connectivity and coverage quality through AI-driven RAN parameter optimization
Komae City, Tokyo	NTT EAST, Inc.	Demonstration of business viability enhancement through local 5G and carrier network multi-access stabilization configurations combined with remote passenger services at bus stops and in vehicles
Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture	Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.	Analysis of communication requirements and demonstration of communication stabilization technologies for the remote monitoring and support of multiple autonomous vehicles by multiple people
Shiojiri City, Nagano Prefecture	KDDI CORPORATION	Demonstration of communication and video optimization for 1:N remote monitoring utilizing 5G SA, network slicing, L4S
Shima City, Mie Prefecture	NTT WEST, Inc.	Demonstration of autonomous vehicle control when crossing railroad tracks using communication systems and roadside infrastructure.
Miyazu City, Kyoto Prefecture	NTT WEST, Inc.	Demonstration of autonomous driving operation management technology on narrow roads utilizing vehicle detection data from roadside sensors and road surface information such as snow and ice conditions
Seika Town, Kyoto Prefecture	SoftBank Corp.	Demonstration of a method for quantitatively evaluating the safety of autonomous buses using remote monitoring powered by telecommunications and AI , as well as the economic viability of N:M monitoring operations in a mixed environment of autonomous buses and robotaxis.
Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture	Osaka Metro Co., Ltd.	Demonstration of improved communication in areas with low signal strength using WiGig and metasurface reflectors, and vehicle control through vehicle-to-infrastructure coordination.
Misato Town, Shimane Prefecture	NTT WEST, Inc.	Demonstration to ensure communication quality for autonomous vehicle operations and remote monitoring in areas without signal coverage using self-operated Wi-Fi networks and low-Earth orbit satellite broadband communications
Ishigaki City, Okinawa Prefecture	NTT WEST, Inc.	Demonstration to ensure communication stability under traffic congestion using multipath communication control across multiple lines, and to verify the communication requirements for N:M remote monitoring and establish an economic model.

■Details regarding the selection results (The MRI website can be found below.)

URL：https://pubpjt.mri.co.jp/publicoffer/20260415.html

3　For Reference

　The MIC has compiled the "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 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.