Rohto Pharmaceutical Begins Demonstration of Skincare Product Transport Using T2's Autonomous Trucks

Rohto Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Chuo-ku, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture; President and CEO: Hidetoshi Seki, hereinafter "Rohto Pharmaceutical") and T2 Inc. (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; CEO and President: Masutomo Kumabe, hereinafter "T2") will begin a demonstration of transporting Rohto Pharmaceutical's skincare-related products using autonomous driving trucks on a section of the highway connecting the Kansai and Kanto regions, starting June 29, 2026.

Rohto Pharmaceutical Ueno Techno Center and T2's autonomous driving truck

To ensure stable product delivery to customers, Rohto Pharmaceutical has previously implemented various initiatives*1 to address chronic challenges in the logistics industry, such as driver shortages and excessive working hours, including improving truck loading efficiency and joint deliveries with other companies.

T2 aims to launch干线 transportation using Level 4*2 autonomous trucks from fiscal year 2027 onward. Since 2024, T2 has conducted transport demonstrations using Level 2*3 autonomous trucks with companies across diverse industries. From 2025, T2 has begun offering "commercial operations"*4, providing regular transport services to companies that have completed demonstration runs.

Now, Rohto Pharmaceutical and T2 will jointly begin a transport demonstration using Level 2 autonomous trucks on a section of the highway between Kansai and Kanto, transporting Rohto Pharmaceutical's skincare-related products, starting June 29, 2026, as detailed below.

Products to be transported in this demonstration

Period

Four runs in total from June 29, 2026 to December 2026

Route

Round trip of approximately 490 km between Rohto Pharmaceutical's Kansai logistics hub (Ibaraki City, Osaka Prefecture) and Kanto logistics hub (Sagamihara City, Kanagawa Prefecture)

(Level 2 autonomous driving*5 section: Approximately 450 km from Ibaraki IC on the Meishin Expressway to Ayase Smart IC on the Tomei Expressway)

Roles

· Rohto Pharmaceutical: Selection of hubs and operation routes, arrangement of demonstration cargo

· T2: Provision of autonomous driving trucks, collection and analysis of driving data, technical verification

Cargo

Skincare-related products, etc.

Verification items

· Effectiveness of operational procedures incorporating autonomous driving · Effectiveness of driving routes and lead times

Based on the results of this demonstration, Rohto Pharmaceutical will seriously consider utilizing T2's Level 4 autonomous truck干线 transportation service. Through this initiative, Rohto Pharmaceutical aims to ensure stable product delivery to customers, contribute to creating better working environments for logistics personnel, reduce environmental impact, and help realize a society of well-being.

*1 Press release on logistics initiatives: https://www.rohto.co.jp/news/release/2025/1008_01

*2 A state in which the automated driving system performs all driving tasks within a limited domain under specific environmental conditions *3 Highly automated driving under specific conditions, conducted under driver supervision *4 Press release related to this: https://t2.auto/news/2025/0701.pdf *5 Driver temporarily takes over driving operations when safety requires

Company websites

Rohto Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.: https://www.rohto.co.jp/

T2 Inc.: https://t2.auto/