UberEats launching in Tokyo

Dream of Jiro’s sushi being delivered to your door? With Uber officially launching UberEats in Japan, your dreams may be coming true.

Advertisements looking for bicycle or motorcycle delivery positions appeared on Facebook for Uber last week, signaling the launch of UberEats or delivery service UberRush.

UberEats recruiting in Japan. h/t James Riney.

Last Wednesday, suspicions were confirmed as Uber posted a video to its Japan Facebook page announcing that UberEats would start “very soon.” The website for the service is already up but now only features a link for restaurants to register. There is no indication of which restaurants will be available at launch, but the registration form only appears to allow eateries from Tokyo.

UberEats launched in March this year and is currently available in 28 cities across the world. Tokyo joined the Uber ice cream delivery campaigns in the past but in general the company has struggled in Japan.

Regulations prevent drivers from accepting money when transporting passengers in a private vehicle and therefore Uber in Japan is more like a taxi operator. Its trial program in Fukuoka last year was shut down for paying drivers and protests from taxi companies have prevented similar trials in other regions. There was also a lot of backlash from the taxi industry when Toyota invested in Uber earlier this year.

There is some wiggle room though. Non-professional drivers can operate and accept payments in areas where public transportation is not available. Uber took advantage of this by launching a service with a non-profit organization in Kyotango city on the west coast.

The city has a population of around 60,000 people but Uber is only allowed to operate in the smaller area of Tango, with a population of 5,560 and where 40 percent of the people there are over 65, according to Reuters. Uber has also made 50 tablets available for the elderly to book one of its 18 cars in the area.

We will see if the move can help Uber leapfrog to larger cities. For now, let’s hope some of the Michelin three star restaurants from the gourmet capital of the world get on the delivery list.

Tech in Asia has reached out to Uber for more information.