Japan’s first pilot project of a fully autonomous self-driving vehicle has been suspended after a minor accident with a parked bicycle, officials said Monday.

It is the latest blow to efforts worldwide to promote driverless vehicles, a technology with particular potential benefits in ageing Japan.

The driverless bus-like vehicle, similar to an electric golf cart, started operations in Eiheiji in Fukui prefecture in central Japan in May.

This was after Japan last year allowed Level 4 self-driving vehicles on public roads, meaning that they can operate only within a limited area.

On Sunday it hit a bicycle that was parked on a roadside, said local official Norifumi Hiramoto.

None of the four passengers was injured and the vehicle developers are investigating the cause, he said.

“We are suspending the operation until the cause of the incident becomes clear,” he said.

A Fukui police spokesman confirmed the accident caused no injuries.

The vehicle, designed to avoid obstacles with sensors and radars, has been driving at a maximum speed of 12 kilometres (7.5 miles) per hour.

The suspension comes just days after California authorities suspended testing of driverless cars as robotaxis by General Motors’s Cruise subsidiary following a series of accidents and other problems.

Like other industrial countries, Japan has been exploring the possibility of allowing self-driving technologies on public roads.

Japan, which is considering easing a ban on ride-hailing services to alleviate a shortage of taxi drivers, aims to allow Level 4 vehicles in 50 locations within three years.

A Hong Kong court acquitted U.S. State Senator Jeff Wilson of illegally possessing a firearm in the Chinese-ruled city as long as he doesn’t commit any crime for the next two years.

Wilson, a member of the Washington State Senate representing the 19th district, was arrested in Hong Kong on Oct. 21 when he arrived at the airport with a pistol in his carry-on luggage. A Republican party member, he has served in the state senate since 2021 and is also a Port of Longview Commissioner.

Hong Kong Principal Magistrate Don So acquitted Wilson of illegal firearms possession and ordered to pay a cash fee of HKD$2,000 ($256), along with the “bind-over order” that requires Wilson to engage in good behaviour and keep the peace for two years.

So said he was inclined to believe that Wilson did not deliberately break the law.

“This is not the first time he came to Hong Kong or China, he used to be a trade delegate to Hong Kong and China. He should have known that the scrutiny in Hong Kong and China is strict,” So said.

Wilson was travelling with his wife on the first leg of a five week vacation in Southeast Asia. He did a self declaration of arms at customs and he brought a revolver by mistake, the court was told.

He did not realise his pistol was in his briefcase when he passed through airport security in Portland in the U.S. and baggage screeners failed to detect it, he said in a statement on his website.

The weapon was discovered mid-flight between San Francisco and Hong Kong, when he reached into his briefcase for a piece of gum and felt his unloaded revolver inside, the statement said.

Carrying a firearm without a license in Hong Kong is illegal and offenders can face up to HK$100,000 ($12,800) and a maximum of 14 years in prison.

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