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Tag - sharing-economy

 
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July 02, 2026
 

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SHARING ECONOMY

Tatsuaki Igarashi, mayor of Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, exits a ride-sharing vehicle at Tsukuba Station in January.
BUSINESS
Aug 23, 2025
Japan to boost support for joint ride-hailing services
There is currently just one joint ride-hailing service in the country, despite 2,057 areas nationwide where transportation options are limited or unavailable.
Ride-sharing vehicles in Kiryu, Gunma Prefecture, in March
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Apr 15, 2025
One year in, ride-hailing in Japan has room for improvement
Japan has lagged in adopting ride-hailing services, largely due to opposition from the country¡¯s powerful taxi industry.
Vehicles used for ride-hailing services in the city of Kiryu, in Gunma Prefecture
JAPAN
Apr 6, 2025
Ride-hailing services spreading in Japan
About 3,300 people have registered as ride-hailing drivers in central Tokyo and other areas.
A Nihon Kotsu Co. taxi departs one of the company's service offices in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 23, 2024
Japan to aid introduction of multilingual ride-hailing apps
With the number of inbound visitors rapidly increasing, rural areas are facing the urgent challenge of securing transportation options for tourists.
A ride-hailing service vehicle in Sendai. In times of disasters, such services will be available more widely.
JAPAN
Sep 17, 2024
Japan to allow use of ride-hailing services in disasters
Demand for transportation tends to increase during disasters such as earthquakes and typhoons, as well as in the recovery and reconstruction process.
Uber is working with Royal Limousine and Times Mobility to conduct a trial to allow ordinary drivers to offer ride-hailing services even if they do not own vehicles.
JAPAN
Sep 4, 2024
Uber Japan tests use of car-sharing vehicles for ride-hailing services
The aim of the trial, which will run through Nov. 30, is to make it easier for drivers to get into the business.
E-scooter startup Lime has launched its service in some of Tokyo¡¯s most densely populated neighborhoods
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 20, 2024
Uber-backed e-scooter startup Lime enters Japan after Korea exit
Lime, which has a global fleet of around 200,000 e-bikes and scooters, on Monday launched its service in some of Tokyo¡¯s most densely populated areas.
Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura is calling for ride-hailing services with no limitations on time zones, locations, dates or the number of vehicles during the Osaka Expo.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Aug 1, 2024
Uncertainty looms over ride-hailing plans for 2025 Osaka Expo
A flood of tourists from Japan and overseas is expected to visit the Osaka Expo, which will open in April next year and run for six months.
Shibuya Mayor Ken Hasebe (second from right) and Aikasa founder Shoji Marukawa (second from left) hold rental umbrellas during a media briefing on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Society
Jun 19, 2024
Shibuya launches initiative to set up 150 new umbrella-sharing stands
The initiative envisions a reduction of 76.1 tons in carbon dioxide emissions and 29.1 tons in waste per year.
Toshimitsu Motegi
JAPAN
Jun 2, 2024
LDP¡¯s Motegi calls for fully opening up ride-hailing market
Starting in April, ride-hailing services are allowed in some parts of the country, but operators of such services are limited to taxi companies now.
Transport minister Tetsuo Saito speaks to reporters at the Prime Minister's Office on Thursday after meeting Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
JAPAN
May 31, 2024
Government defers decision on ride-hailing services
Some officials from the transport ministry and Komeito are strongly opposed to fully lifting the current ban.
As of last Sunday, ride-hailing services, which use personal vehicles to offer paid rides, had been used a total of 12,628 times in five areas.
BUSINESS
May 11, 2024
In first month of operations, ride-hailing services used more than taxis in Tokyo
The services, which were launched in April, have been used more frequently than traditional taxis so far, a transport ministry report has shown.
Digital minister Taro Kono rides in a car driven by a private driver using a personal vehicle in Tokyo's Edogawa Ward on Monday.
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 8, 2024
Tokyo starts ride-hailing service ¡ª but it may not be what you expect
The apps Go, Uber, S.Ride and Didi can all be used to hail private drivers alongside taxis during specific times of the day.
Ride-sharing apps on a smartphone. Since Monday, users have technically been able to hail private vehicles through such apps, but only in specific areas and at certain times.
BUSINESS / EXPLAINER
Apr 2, 2024
Japan has started private ride-hailing services. Here¡¯s how they work.
Private drivers can only be called during times of high demand and in certain areas.
Nissan is planning an autonomous vehicle ride-share service for Japan with a 2027 launch date to address a lack of taxi drivers due to the nation¡¯s aging?population.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 28, 2024
Nissan plans 2027 driverless ride-share service for aging Japan
Nissan will trial the service in Yokohama¡¯s Minato Mirai area, with 20 vehicles equipped with a safety monitor in each driver¡¯s seat.
Uber Japan has started discussions with partner taxi companies aiming to introduce ride-sharing services.
BUSINESS
Jan 26, 2024
Uber Japan to launch limited ride-sharing services in April
Uber Japan¡¯s new services will only be available in areas and during times of the day deemed to face a shortage of taxis.
Police officers hold a traffic safety lesson for e-scooter users in December 2022 in Tokyo's Meguro Ward.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 24, 2024
E-scooter traffic violations rise fourfold in Japan
Reports of traffic violations totaled 1,879 in the month of December, a significant increase from the 405 cases reported in July of last year.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 20, 2023
Japan to partially lift ban on ride-hailing services from April
Drivers will be allowed to operate in specific areas at certain times under the guidance of taxi companies when there is a lack of rides available.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 13, 2023
E-scooter startup wins over Japanese regulators who confounded Uber
Tokyo-based Luup controls more than 90% of the country¡¯s shared e-scooter market in terms of ride mileage, based on government-compiled data.
A poster for Uber displayed at a Tokyo subway station reads: "Meeting inbound demand together with Japan's taxis." It also notes that its service is used in 71 countries.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 26, 2023
Japan weighs allowing ride-hailing amid taxi industry opposition
The taxi industry is opposed to any change, arguing that allowing ride-hailing is just a temporary fix that will take jobs from taxi drivers.
Japan triples departure tax in push to combat overtourism
Tourists in Yanaka Ginza, Tokyo, on Wednesday. Japan tripled its International Tourist Tax (departure tax) to ?3,000 from ?1,000 on Wednesday for all travelers leaving Japan, regardless of nationality.
More facilities in Japan placing sanitary bins in men¡¯s restrooms
A sanitary bin with an awareness sticker placed in a men's restroom in the Nagasaki Municipal Government building
Inside Japan¡¯s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
Life inside Japan¡¯s largest prison for women
Western-style rooms spanning the size of four tatami mats with hardwood floors, a toilet and soft mattresses on bed frames are designated for foreign nationals and those with health conditions at Tochigi Prison.
¡®My dream is broken¡¯: Japan visa rules push out foreign residents
A man orders from a kebab shop in the Okubo district in Tokyo.
Six of the best: rikishi of note in each sumo division
Kazuma (right) faces off against future <i>yokozuna</i> Onosato during the All Japan Amateur Sumo Championships at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo in December 2020.
Some startups see opportunity in an aging Japan
Yasmin Baba, CTO of Amilis, wins the Grand Prize at the Pitch2Tokyo Grand Final on Feb. 19.
Japan¡¯s fertility system offers few safe paths for same-sex couples
A Tokyo Pride parade participant holds a sign that says "we want to be a married couple, not a couple."
Life inside Japan¡¯s largest prison for women
Western-style rooms spanning the size of four tatami mats with hardwood floors, a toilet and soft mattresses on bed frames are designated for foreign nationals and those with health conditions at Tochigi Prison.
Inside Japan¡¯s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival
By Alex K.T. Martin

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