Japan Autonomous Driving Trends Report 2020 Featuring Honda, Nissan, & Toyota News provided by Share this article Share this article ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. Japan's automotive market is highly developed and evolving. Autonomous driving is advancing for both commercial and personal use. Naturally, global OEMs, suppliers, and technology companies are leading the charge, with significant inputs from research institutes and universities. In 2017, the Japanese government allowed driving tests on highways in suburban and low-population areas. In 2019, the country anticipated a great number of autonomous vehicles (such as taxis and shuttles) ahead of the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympics. In 2020, the autonomous cars market is expected to be further concentrated by the industry-wide effect of COVID-19. OEMs and Tier-1 suppliers are likely to focus more on core technologies than R&D.