EVwire brief: Tesla Japan President Riichi Hashimoto says Tesla is still aiming to launch Full Self-Driving (FSD) Supervised in Japan before the end of 2026.
In an interview with Nikkei, Hashimoto acknowledged that the target is difficult since approval isn't something Tesla can achieve on its own. Still, he noted that Tesla has been testing FSD on Japanese public roads since August 2025, and it's working with Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) and other agencies toward FSD's legalization.
As per Hashimoto:
"Our goal of implementing it within 2026 remains unchanged, but we must not compromise safety by rushing the deregulation. While we are eager to deliver it to our customers as soon as possible, we will continue to communicate with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and other government agencies to ensure that it fully meets Japan's road traffic safety standards before being delivered."
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Hashimoto said Japan's biggest hurdle is its unusually complex road environment, including very narrow streets and regular roads that run beneath elevated expressways. He also noted small gaps between how FSD defines safe driving and what Japan's traffic laws require, which Tesla is ironing out through repeated public road testing and AI training.
With Japanese automakers aiming to put autonomous driving systems in production cars from 2027 onwards, Hashimoto pointed to FSD's data advantage. The system uses only eight cameras and AI, with no LiDAR, and learns from camera footage captured by Tesla vehicles driving around the world.
Hashimoto also addressed the Cybercab, which Nikkei noted had been shown in Japan in September. Tesla's purpose-built Robotaxi began public rides in Austin on September 4. Hashimoto said the Cybercab won't be on Japanese roads anytime soon, but it isn't a distant-future prospect either, and Tesla would like to bring it to Japan once FSD is approved there first.
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Context:
Hashimoto's comments come as FSD Supervised keeps gaining ground in new markets, particularly in Europe. Slovakia became Europe's ninth country to approve FSD Supervised just last week, following Germany's comments about backing an EU-wide approval of the system earlier this month. Tesla has since renamed FSD Supervised to "Tesla Assisted Driving" (TAD) in Europe.
Japan, for its part, has become one of Tesla's faster-growing markets. The Model Y became Japan's best-selling imported car in May, a first for Tesla, and Tesla Japan's sales jumped 184% in June to rank 2nd among imported brands for the first time. This means that an FSD Supervised launch would land with a fast-growing base of Tesla owners in the country.
Source: Nikkei, Ming (@tslaming) on X
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