Japan is stepping up efforts to build a domestic drone production system to reduce reliance on a China-centred supply chain. The strategy includes shifting private drone firms toward defence work and expanding government budgets to strengthen unmanned systems competitiveness. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party has approved a plan to build capacity to produce about 80,000 drones a year by 2030, though funding details remain unclear. Companies such as Eams Robotics and Terra Drone are highlighted as defence-focused examples.

Waymo co-CEO Dmitri Dolgov said camera-only systems are unlikely to reach the safety level required for full self-driving, while they may be suitable for driver-assistance features. He described how combining cameras, lidar and radar improves perception in difficult conditions and cited examples from Phoenix and at night. Dolgov also said Waymo is on its sixth-generation hardware and costs have fallen each generation. Tesla and Waymo cited sharply different driverless mileage figures.