Rakuten’s robot revolution rolls up on Tokyo

A glimpse of Japan’s robotic future has rolled into Tokyo.

In November 2024, Rakuten launched a new autonomous delivery service in Tokyo’s Harumi neighborhood. As the name suggests, the service employs autonomous robots to deliver products from a number of local supermarkets, cafes and restaurants, serving around 24,000 households.

In February 2025, this roster of rolling robots was boosted by the addition of cutting-edge machines from U.S. company Avride, which launched in Japan for the first time. The new robots from Avride will be an addition to the current Rakuten delivery robots from Cartken.

Navigating the streets of Harumi

The robots travel along the sidewalk at a maximum speed of 6 km/h – a brisk walking pace – automatically navigating around obstacles and pedestrians, and obeying traffic signals. They are equipped with LiDAR and ultrasonic sensors, allowing them to navigate even in darkness and poor weather. A human monitoring system provides additional safety oversight, with operators ready to execute an emergency stop if necessary.

Rakuten autonomous delivery service is currently serving Harumi and parts of Tsukishima and Kachidoki, in Tokyo’s east. The area was chosen in part because of its ease of navigation for the robots; sitting atop reclaimed land in Tokyo Bay, these neighborhoods were planned developments and offer broad roads and sidewalks.

Home to many residential high-rises, Harumi also has a high population density and relatively low car ownership, being well-connected with public transport.

Locals can summon a robot delivery online, where they can choose from over 5,000 different items from local cafes, supermarkets and restaurants. Delivery can be scheduled in 15-minute intervals to more than 90 different pickup locations around the neighborhood.

Robotic solutions to demographic challenges

Fukutaro Yamashita is Senior Manager of Rakuten’s Robot Business Section. He highlights Japan’s changing dynamics as a primary driver of demand for new logistics solutions.

“Japan has a rapidly aging population, and the labor shortage is becoming a serious challenge,” he explains. “The shortage of drivers in the logistics industry is particularly stark, and autonomous delivery robots are in the spotlight as one potential solution.”

While the robots currently serve an urban population, Yamashita notes that they could benefit a wide range of communities.

“Because Japan’s cities have a lot of double-income households raising kids, robot delivery services are expected to serve as a handy way to have food and everyday goods delivered,” he says. “On the other hand, Japan’s rural areas are undergoing depopulation, and there are fewer and fewer stores. So we expect that robot deliveries could serve to support those without easy access to shops.”

Why Rakuten?

Yamashita lists a number of compelling reasons why Rakuten is in a good position to offer robot deliveries. First and foremost: Rakuten’s powerful data.

“Leveraging the data from Rakuten’s 70+ services, we can build services specifically to the needs of certain areas or users,” he begins. “For example, we can look at what kind of things and how often users in the Harumi area are buying on Rakuten Ichiba, and use that information to decide what kind of business partnerships to prioritize.”

Rakuten’s established brand also plays a role in convincing customers to try something unfamiliar. “Not many people are ready to try out a new service, but the Rakuten brand makes that a lot easier. I think it’s easier for people to try it out with a sense of trust.”

That same trust extends to Rakuten’s broad network of B2B partnerships.

“By collaborating with robot manufacturers and governments, as well as other logistics providers, we are able to efficiently advance development of the tech and service,” Yamashita explains. “I think it’s also a strength that we can rapidly expand the scope of our business by proposing autonomous delivery as a new service to existing partners.”

Building the future

Rakuten already has a wealth of experience with autonomous deliveries – both in the air and on the ground. Yamashita wants to build on that expertise to shape the future.

“For Rakuten, we really want to continue building out a safe and convenient robot delivery infrastructure,” he says. “I predict a future in which robots are integrated into our everyday lives, as the current small, low-speed robots are joined by medium-sized, medium-speed robots. These robots will be able to travel on roads at faster speeds and deliver larger packages.”

Yamashita also expects delivery distances to increase, towards an ultimate goal of completely automated last-mile delivery.

“We could even see a future in which a product bought on Rakuten Ichiba could be shipped directly from a warehouse to the customer’s front door.”

For now, however, Rakuten’s robots will continue to serve the residents of Harumi – a glimpse of the future, rolling through the streets of today.