According to Nikkei, Japanese trading giant Itochu has invested ¥1 billion ($6.9 million) in U.S. autonomous vehicle startup May Mobility, as the company positions itself for Japan’s emerging self-driving transportation market.
The April transaction forms part of a capital and business alliance between the companies, according to people familiar with the matter. May Mobility, which operates autonomous shuttle services across multiple U.S. cities and has existing deployments in Japan including Tokyo and Fukuoka, aims to launch commercial self-driving shuttles in Japan by 2027.
Itochu will leverage group companies including call center operator Bellsystem24 Holdings and surveying firm Pasco, in which it holds a 25% stake, to provide technological support for the venture. The investment represents Itochu’s second major autonomous vehicle bet this year, following its partnership with logistics startup Gatik in June.
The Ann Arbor-based startup recently unveiled a 30-passenger electric autonomous minibus at CES 2025 and has completed over 400,000 autonomy-enabled rides across 18 deployments worldwide. May Mobility launched its first fully driverless commercial service in Georgia in February, removing human safety operators from its Toyota Sienna vehicles.
The modest investment size suggests Itochu is testing the waters in Japan’s nascent autonomous vehicle market rather than making a transformative bet on the technology.
