ANA to start drone delivery service as Japan eases regulations

Apr 15, 2021 | News On Japan

Apr 15, 2021 (Nikkei) - Japanese airline group ANA Holdings will launch a drone delivery service in the fiscal year through March 2023, using a vehicle developed by a German startup to carry daily necessities and medicines to Japan's remote islands and mountainous regions, Nikkei has learned.

ANA is preparing the service as the Japanese government takes steps toward relaxing drone regulations sometime in the same fiscal year.

It will be the first time for a domestic airline to start a drone transportation service.

ANA's German supplier is Hessen-based Wingcopter. The startup's drones can maintain a maximum speed of 240 kph over 120 km, more than 10 times farther than general-purpose drones.

ANA expects the service to transport daily necessities to remote islands as well as medicines and relief goods to disaster zones. It has been testing drone transportation on remote islands since 2018 and plans to deploy its airline expertise in flight route design and aircraft safety management.

In March, the government approved a bill to amend the Aviation Law, which includes expanded airspace and fewer regulations for drones. In fiscal 2022, the government is expected to allow drones to be flown out of the operator's sight in densely populated areas. ANA will prepare for commercialization based on this so-called "level 4" flying standard.

Even after drone flying is deregulated, only government-certified aircraft and qualified operators will be allowed to fly drones in populated areas. ANA sees this as an advantage for airlines.

Level 5 Heavy Rain Emergency Warning Issued Across Chiba

A Level 5 heavy rain emergency warning was issued for more than 20 municipalities in Chiba Prefecture on August 13 after a linear rainband formed over northwestern and southern parts of the prefecture, bringing torrential rainfall exceeding 100 millimeters per hour in several locations and causing widespread flooding, stranded vehicles and damage to buildings.

Google Opens Flagship Store in Tokyo's Omotesando

Google opened its first flagship store in Japan in Tokyo's Omotesando district at 2 p.m. on August 13, marking the company's first flagship retail location outside the United States.

Jellyfish-Like Red Glow Lights Up Kanagawa

A mysterious red light stretching vertically across the night sky over Kanagawa Prefecture has been identified as a rare "sprite," a brief luminous phenomenon that occurs high above thunderclouds at roughly the same time as powerful lightning strikes.

Awa Odori Dancers Fill Tokushima Streets

Street performances began across Tokushima on August 12 as the city's Awa Odori festival entered its second day, with leading dance groups showcasing graceful routines after months of practice.

Newly Formed Typhoon No. 17 Could Near Kanto by Weekend

A large new typhoon formed near the Ogasawara Islands on August 12 and could approach Honshu around the end of the Obon holiday period, while the remnants of Typhoon No. 15 continue to bring unstable weather and a risk of heavy rain across a wide area of Japan.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Society NEWS

Pythons Escape From Apartment in Kawasaki

Two pet pythons measuring about 2 meters in length escaped from an apartment in Kawasaki's Tama Ward early on August 13, prompting police and firefighters to search the surrounding residential area and warn local residents.

The Unseen Reality of Kumamoto Quake Survivors

Fifteen days after the Kumamoto earthquake, restoration of electricity and transport infrastructure is progressing, but thousands of people are believed to remain outside official shelters, while rising construction costs and interest rates are creating new challenges for rebuilding homes and restoring livelihoods.

Teens on Stolen Motorcycle Fire Rockets at Police Officers

Two teenage boys from Tokyo's Adachi Ward have been arrested on suspicion of stealing a motorcycle and firing aerial fireworks toward police officers at two police boxes, telling investigators they were annoyed that a new police box had opened in the area.

Japanese Woman Trapped in North Korea for 40 Years

Hiroko Saito was 19 years old when she left Japan for North Korea in June 1961 with her Korean husband and their one-year-old daughter, persuaded by assurances that they were heading to a "paradise on earth" and that she could return to Japan after three years. Instead, she would spend four decades in North Korea, enduring chronic hunger, the deaths of her husband and children and a desperate struggle to survive before finally escaping and returning home in 2001.