According to a report by CNBC in the USA, Alphabet's (GOOG.US) self-driving cars "Waymo" will begin testing in Tokyo, Japan, early next year, marking the company's first step towards international expansion.

The report mentioned that Waymo has not committed to launching Business Services in Tokyo, but will collaborate with Japan's largest taxi operator "Nihon Kotsu" and the taxi application "GO" to start testing its "Jaguar I-PACE" vehicles on Tokyo streets. During this, Nihon Kotsu's drivers will manually operate Waymo vehicles to map out driving routes in major areas of Tokyo, including Minato, Shinjuku, and Shibuya.

Waymo also revealed that this testing is just the first phase of a partnership, which will continue over several quarters, and plans to maintain a long-term presence in Japan.

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