GO Inc.

DeNA's first-quarter results for the fiscal year ending March 2027, announced on August 5 under IFRS on a consolidated basis, showed revenue of 37.166 billion yen, down 10.9% year on year; operating profit of 7.411 billion yen, down 46.3%; pre-tax profit of 49.753 billion yen, up 213.5%; and net profit of 33.438 billion yen, up 198.5%. The main reason for the operating profit decline was the reaction to the game app Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket, launched in October 2024, which had greatly boosted results in the same quarter a year earlier; revenue in the games business came to 12.12 billion yen, down 33.2%, and segment profit was just 3.826 billion yen, down 62.0%. Net profit, meanwhile, grew sharply because the taxi-hailing app GO, an equity-method affiliate, listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Growth Market. In addition to selling part of its stake, DeNA revalued its remaining holding at fair value, booking 39.517 billion yen in equity-method investment gains and losses, bringing equity-method investment profit to 40.571 billion yen. By business, the sports and smart city segment performed strongly with revenue of 13.216 billion yen, up 16.0% year on year, and segment profit of 4.551 billion yen, up 24.4%, surpassing the games business's segment profit of 3.826 billion yen and driving first-quarter earnings. The company also announced on August 24 the details of its shareholder benefits for the fiscal year ending March 2027, with a record date of September 30, adding a THE LIVE CENTRAL BAR digital drink coupon to the five types of benefits based on the number of shares held.

Waymo, the autonomous driving technology company under Alphabet, said on September 15 that it plans to launch a full-scale driverless ride-hailing service in Tokyo by 2027, in partnership with Nihon Kotsu, a Japanese taxi company, and the GO travel platform. The service will start with a small number of vehicles before expanding to about 100 cars in key areas of Tokyo. Passengers will be able to hail either an ordinary taxi or a Waymo autonomous vehicle through the GO app and Waymo's own app. However, commercial launch still requires approval from regulators, as well as the completion of safety and operational reviews and verification. The three companies are working with ministries and government agencies to obtain the necessary permits. Waymo began supervised autonomous driving tests on Tokyo roads with GO and Nihon Kotsu in 2025, with Nihon Kotsu employees helping to adapt the system to narrow roads, heavy traffic and local driving conditions. Waymo currently provides more than 500,000 autonomous vehicle trips per week and offers autonomous driving services in 15 cities, and it sees the Tokyo launch as the next step in its overseas expansion. Japan is meanwhile pushing autonomous mobility to cope with an aging population and a shortage of drivers, and Tokyo has already designated specific areas to support the introduction of Level 4 autonomous services. GO and Waymo first announced their partnership with Nihon Kotsu in December 2024, when Waymo began preparing to adapt its technology to left-side traffic and the dense urban environment of Tokyo.