Alphabet-owned Waymo announced Monday that it will begin testing its autonomous vehicles in Tokyo in early 2025, the company's first step toward international expansion.

Waymo has not yet committed to starting a commercial service in Tokyo, but the robotaxi developer will partner with Japan's largest taxi operator, Nihon Kotsu, and taxi app GO to begin testing its Jaguar I vehicles -PACE on the streets of Tokyo.

To begin, Nihon Kotsu drivers will manually operate Waymo vehicles to map key areas of the Japanese capital, including Minato, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Chiyoda, Chūō, Shinagawa, and Kōtō.

Data from manned test drives will help train the company's AI systems. Waymo will also test its robotaxis on a closed track in the United States built to mimic driving conditions in Japan.

This is the first phase of the partnership, which will last several quarters, Waymo told CNBC, adding that it expects to remain in Japan for an extended period.

"Our upcoming road trip to Tokyo gives us the chance to work together with local partners, government officials, and community groups to understand the new landscape," Waymo said in a statement. "We learn how Waymo can serve Tokyo residents and become a beneficial part of the city's transportation ecosystem."

Nihon Kotsu will oversee the management and maintenance of Waymo's vehicles in Japan, the companies said.

Waymo has announced a series of expansions across the United States in 2024. Earlier this month, the company announced new testing in miami in 2025, it made its driverless ride hailing service available throughout Los Angeles in November, and in September, it announced planned expansions in Austin and Atlanta in partnership with Uber.

The move to Japan marks the company's first in a left-hand traffic market.

Both the Japanese national government and the Tokyo metropolitan government see driverless technology as a potential boon for the country's aging population, according to research from the World Economic Forum.

Tokyo has designated certain areas as "test zones" for self-driving cars in hopes of speeding up the arrival of safe driverless transportation systems there.

Several developers are working on autonomous vehicles in Japan, including local startup Tier IV and ZMP, a robotics company testing delivery vehicles and buses in Tokyo. Monet Technologies, which is partially owned by Toyotaannounced plans to test self-driving taxi service in Tokyo's Odaiba district earlier this year.

Waymo's Japan expansion announcement comes a week later General Motors she announced that it was abandon its Cruise robotaxi division. Honda, an outside investor in Cruise, told CNBC that it aimed to launch a driverless ride-hail service in Japan in early 2026 but would reevaluate those plans and make adjustments if necessary.

Before GM's withdrawal from robotaxis, Cruise was one of Waymo's primary domestic competitors.

SEE: GM pulls the plug on the robotaxi plan