东京讯——东京都警视厅计划于2027年4月设立专门机构，以应对自动驾驶汽车的普及趋势。该机构将负责完善相关许可审批流程，并研究自动驾驶汽车事故的调查方法。这将是日本首个专门负责自动驾驶事务的县级警察部门机构。
TOKYO -- The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department plans to establish a dedicated unit in April 2027 to prepare for the spread of autonomous vehicles, strengthening procedures for granting permits and developing methods to investigate accidents involving self-driving cars. This will be the first unit dedicated specifically to autonomous driving at a prefectural police department in Japan.
2023年4月起实施的《道路交通法》修订案正式允许在特定条件下，在公共道路上运行具备完全自动驾驶能力的Level 4级车辆。今年9月，谷歌母公司Alphabet旗下的Waymo公司宣布，计划于2027年在东京启动无人驾驶出租车的商业运营。
Road Traffic Act revisions that took effect in April 2023 legalized the operation of Level 4 autonomous vehicles, which can drive themselves under certain conditions, on public roads. This past September, Alphabet's Waymo announced plans to begin commercial operation of a driverless robotaxi service in Tokyo in 2027.
Level 4级自动驾驶服务需获得各都道府县公安委员会的批准。新设立的警察机构将作为Waymo及其他运营商申请许可的对接窗口。
Level 4 autonomous vehicle services require approval from prefectural public safety commissions. The new police unit will serve as the point of contact for permit applications from Waymo and other operators.
目前，对于无人驾驶车辆发生事故时的刑事责任归属问题尚无定论。
The question of who bears criminal responsibility in accidents involving vehicles with no human driver remains unclear.
由于此类事故可能由周边车辆的行为或自动驾驶系统故障引发，其调查方式需区别于传统调查中“驾驶员是否存在过失及其程度”的判定模式。
As accidents could result from the actions of nearby vehicles or from failures in autonomous driving systems, investigations will require different methods than traditional approaches focused on determining whether a driver was negligent and to what extent.
东京警视厅拟为该机构配备专业人员，并接收来自国家警察厅及其他都道府县警方的借调人员。
The Tokyo police plan to staff the new office with specialized personnel and to accept officials on secondment from the National Police Agency and other prefectural police departments.
该机构还将与政府相关部门、学术界及汽车制造商开展信息交流，探索适合自动驾驶事故调查的方法。此外，它也将协助处理东京以外地区的自动驾驶相关事故调查工作。
The unit will exchange information with government ministries, academics and manufacturers and explore appropriate investigative approaches for accidents. It will also support investigations into autonomous driving accidents outside Tokyo.
日本各大汽车制造商正在为国内市场研发“2级+”自动驾驶系统，该系统可使车辆在仅需驾驶员极少干预的情况下行驶。新设立的机构将开展公众宣传活动，向驾驶员阐明在此类系统下预防事故的责任。
Japanese automakers are developing "Level 2++" systems for the domestic market that allow vehicles to travel with minimal driver input. The new office will conduct public awareness campaigns to inform drivers of their responsibility for preventing accidents under such systems.
在美国，涉及自动驾驶车辆的事故若造成财产损失或人员受伤，相关企业必须向美国国家公路交通安全管理局报告。
In the U.S., certain accidents involving autonomous vehicles that result in property damage or injury must be reported by companies to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
此外，独立于警方调查之外，日本国土交通省计划将涉及无人驾驶车辆的严重事故纳入日本运输安全委员会的调查范围，该委员会专门负责调查航空及铁路事故。
Separately from police investigations, Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism plans to designate serious accidents involving driverless autonomous vehicles as subject to investigation by the Japan Transport Safety Board, which handles aircraft and railway accidents.