Waymos autonomous cars are about to appear on streets outside of the U.S. for the first time.

The company on Wednesday announced on social media that its autonomous cars will be driving onto the streets of Tokyo, Japan, soon, with some reports suggesting the rollout will begin as early as next week.

Recommended Videos Waymo is already testing paid robotaxi services in a bunch of U.S. cities, including San Francisco, Phoenix, Austin, and Los Angeles. If everything goes smoothly in Japan, theres a chance its robotaxi service could launch there, too, though such a service is likely to be a ways off.

Related Alphabet-owned Waymo said that at first, its Tokyo cars will be driven manually by humans while the vehicles map key areas of the Japanese capital, including Minato, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Chiyoda, Ch, Shinagawa, and Kt. The experience will also enable Waymos autonomous software to learn and adapt to left-hand traffic, as well as a range of new driving nuances present in one of the worlds most densely populated urban environments.

When the American company first announced its Japan plan last December, it said itll be outsourcing servicing and management of its autonomous cars to local firm Nihon Kotsu, Tokyos largest taxi operator, while also partnering with GO, Japans popular taxi-hailing app.

Our upcoming road trip to Tokyo gives us the chance to work alongside local partners, government officials, and community groups to understand the new landscape, Waymo said when it announced its international expansion. Well learn how Waymo can serve Tokyos residents and become a beneficial part of the citys transportation ecosystem. And every step of the way, well take a rigorous approach to validating our technologys safety and performance.

It added that its also working with local policymakers, regulators, and safety officials to ensure a responsible and seamless implementation of Waymos technology to Tokyos streets.

Japan is currently experiencing a shortage of taxi drivers, so Waymo could be eyeing the market and playing the long game, hoping that in the years ahead it may be able to gain permission to launch a fully fledged robotaxi service in a potentially lucrative sector. But there is much work to be done before then.

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