TM Toyota Motor Corporation

TOKYO—Uber Technologies Inc. sent board member David Plouffe, President Barack Obama's former campaign manager, to Tokyo on Wednesday, stepping up its push to bring its ride-hailing business to Japan.

Japan's regulations prohibit drivers from ferrying passengers for money without a taxi permit or similar authorization, effectively barring the Silicon Valley company from operating its main business in the country.

"For most parts of the world, the core question of ride-sharing has been disposed of. In some parts of Europe, and here in Tokyo, we're still working on it," Mr. Plouffe said in an interview. "Our goal is to talk to as many people as we can and try to get some urgency around this."

Over a lunch at the Tokyo American Club, Mr. Plouffe told members of the business community, "There's no doubt there is great consumer interest in what we do, and we'd love your help on that."

Opposition to Uber is spearheaded by Japanese taxi unions, who fear competition from the company, and Japanese officials who question the safety of ride-hailing services. Transport Minister Keiichi Ishii said in a recent interview that he believed taxi companies provided essential supervision of drivers and that it would be hard for ride-sharing services to match the safety of a taxi.

Mr. Plouffe said Tokyo might change its mind as it prepares for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

"We think the government sees the need and the demand," he said. Unless Uber is operating well ahead of the Games, it wouldn't be available to Olympics spectators, he said.

Uber is facing competition from other business models.

On Tuesday, Toyota Motor Corp., an Uber investor, said it would consider helping car owners rent their vehicles out for short periods in Japan, a business model that doesn't face the same legal restrictions as Uber's. Toyota has invested in U.S. car-sharing startup Getaround Inc., and the two announced a partnership Monday.

Mr. Plouffe, who helped Mr. Obama become the first African-American president, said Uber wants to build grassroots support from "people who want to ride or drive, who talk to government and make their views known through social media."

Meanwhile, the ride-sharing startup, valued at $68 billion by investors, is looking for other ways to make more money in Japan's densely populated cities. In September, it introduced UberEats, a food-delivery service, in some Tokyo neighborhoods. It also offers its limousine service, UberBlack, and a taxi-booking service.

Write to Sean McLain at sean.mclain@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

November 02, 2016 08:35 ET (12:35 GMT)

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