Self-driving car needs new legal measures

TOKYO - The Japanese government aims to put unmanned self-driving vehicles into practical use under limited conditions by 2020. However, it has been pointed out that current laws are not equipped to deal with liability in accidents involving self-driving cars.

"Fully self-driving cars would reduce traffic jams and accidents, and could provide elderly people in depopulated areas with a means of transportation," the president of a Tokyo-based robotics company said enthusiastically on Dec 14, when a demonstration experiment involving an unmanned self-driving vehicle on public roads in Koto Ward was conducted.

Since October, the Japanese government has carried out tests on highways and other places in cooperation with 21 entities including automakers and universities.