Japan’s defense procurement agency has selected autonomous driving software developer TIER IV to study the use of self-driving vehicles at Japan Self-Defense Forces (SDF) facilities, as the country looks to address mounting workforce challenges linked to its aging population.
The Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency (ATLA), an independent body under Japan’s Ministry of Defense, said the study will evaluate whether autonomous vehicles can be deployed at maritime air bases to support ground operations such as aircraft towing and material transport.
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ATLA said the assessment is aimed at easing personnel shortages at SDF installations, where demand for ground support tasks continues to rise even as the pool of available workers shrinks. Japan faces one of the world’s most rapidly aging societies, putting sustained pressure on both civilian and defense-sector workforces.
The study will be carried out by TIER IV, the developer behind Autoware, a widely used open-source autonomous driving platform. TIER IV said its proposal is based on adapting Autoware-powered systems for defense-related use cases in controlled environments such as air bases.
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Potential applications under review include autonomous tow trucks and automated vehicles for transporting equipment and supplies, which could reduce manual workload while improving safety and operational efficiency, ATLA said.
TIER IV has previously deployed autonomous driving solutions across a range of scenarios, including industrial vehicles operating in closed facilities and autonomous buses and taxis running on public roads. The company said it plans to draw on this experience to tailor autonomous systems to the specific requirements of military ground support operations.
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The initiative reflects a broader push within Japan to explore automation and artificial intelligence to sustain critical services amid demographic decline, while also strengthening the resilience and efficiency of defense infrastructure.
