Japan's Driving Platform Go, which has completed the largest IPO in Japan since 2026, has begun to make clear where to go. The company indicated that the 88.6 billion yen raised would be used mainly to expand the Robotaxi business and advance M & As. This funding also makes Go one of the few technology companies that has completed large-scale financing in Japan’s depressed market environment.

Go was listed at a time when Japan’s new stock market is cold. It was mentioned that in recent years the Japanese Government had become more inclined to encourage start-ups to sell rather than to be listed independently. In this context, Go continues to attract the participation of BlackRock, Wellington Management and M&G Investment Management.

However, secondary market performance is not strong. Go received Yen2314 on Friday, about 4 per cent below the issuance price of Yen2,400, indicating that investors are still looking forward to its subsequent growth.

88.6 billion yen for two businesses.

According to Go, 88.6 billion yen, or approximately $553 million, collected by IPO will be used in two priority directions: the expansion of the Robotaxi business and the search for acquisition opportunities.

The company did not disclose specific M & As targets and did not provide a clear timetable for the large-scale commercialization of automatic taxis. However, in terms of financial arrangements, Robotaxi has been listed as a core expansion after listing.

Drivers reduced autopilot layout

Go sees auto-driving taxis as a response to actual operating pressure. The Japanese taxi industry has continued to face a shortage of drivers in recent years. According to the report, the number of taxi drivers has declined by approximately 20 per cent in recent years, citing data from the Ministry of Land, Land and Transport of Japan.

In this context, Robotaxi is not only a new business attempt, but also a future source of the Platform ' s capacity. Go indicates that a fully self-pilot operation without an insider will only be initiated once the technical certification has been completed and approved.

At present, the company has not published a specific point of time for this phase.

Waymo and Uber are all set up in Tokyo.

On the auto-driving layout, Go has worked with the Alphabet auto-driving company, Waymo, and the Japanese major taxi operator, Nihon Kotsu. According to the company, Go is primarily responsible for strategic coordination in cooperation.

Go CEO Nakashima also previously stated that the company would not invest in the development of an automated driving system. This means that Go is more likely to play the role of a platform-operater rather than a bottom-up technology provider.

Before being completely unmanned, Go was still strengthening its traditional call business. The company has worked with Kakao T, Boea and Weibo to get visitors from South Korea, China and Taiwan to call the Go Associated Taxi directly through local applications.

Go is not the only company to bet on the Robotaxi market in Tokyo. In March this year, Uber, Wayve and Japanese announced plans to test the Robotaxi service in Tokyo by 2026. This is also the first time that Uber has worked with auto-driving vehicles in Japan.

It is planned that the service will use a daily Leaf electric vehicle carrying Wayve AI Driver and call it through Uber applications. At the same time, Uber has also worked with S.Ride to serve international passengers. There are similar arrangements for Didi Mobile Japan, which was established by a combination of soft silver and drip travel.