Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism announced today (August 18) that it is granting approximately 98 million yen to five drone delivery projects.
The grant recipients sharing the investment are ANA Holdings Inc., Nishikyudai Transportation and Warehouse Co., Ltd., Nakatsu Express Co., Ltd., Ryomo Maruzen Co., Ltd., and HMK Nexus Co., Ltd.
ANA is developing a drone business model based on demonstration flights in Okinawa Prefecture for transporting blood products and pharmaceuticals, and for use in disaster situations.
Nishikyudai’s project aims to establish a ‘hub-and-spoke’ delivery centre using drones and electric vehicles in the mountainous area of Ukiha City, Fukuoka Prefecture, and to stabilise infrastructure and build a sustainable logistics model in depopulated areas through shopping support and other measures.
In Nakatsu City, Oita Prefecture, Nakatsu Express is working on a business initiative that combines drone logistics with joint delivery, which involves loading products from multiple shippers and delivering them to the same destination, and introducing a system to improve the efficiency of drone operations.
Ryomo Maruzen is establishing a drone depot to consolidate cargo in Sano City, Tochigi Prefecture. This will include flight routes in Sano City and Ashikaga City, a system for in-house drone delivery operation management, and coordination between ground delivery and drones through a delivery management system.
In Chino City, Nagano Prefecture, HMK Nexus will identify local delivery needs, build a depot suitable for commercialisation, and demonstrate use cases based on the development of drone routes that ensure safety.
The Ministry called for applications earlier this year to support its aim to implement drone logistics in areas where there is a shortage of logistics personnel, such as remote islands and mountainous regions. Today’s announcement is the result of that process. The focus is on improving the efficiency of last-mile delivery by combining land transport such as trucks with drone delivery, in collaboration with local governments and logistics companies.
For more information
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism – Japan
