15 Years On: Fukushima Company Working to Realize Drone Logistics

Minamisoma, Fukushima Pref., March 1 (Jiji Press)–A young company from Fukushima Prefecture, which was battered by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami and the subsequent nuclear accident, is working to put drones into practical use in logistics, capitalizing on industrial revitalization subsidies offered by the northeastern Japan prefecture. Eams Robotics Co., based in the Fukushima city of Minamisoma, produces and sells industrial drones. It was founded in 2016 as a company related to aerial photography services for television broadcasters, and began developing and manufacturing drones in 2018. It partnered with firms including parcel delivery firm Sagawa Express Co. in 2022 to test drone use for parcel and food deliveries to mountainous areas and remote islands in and outside Fukushima. To help local industries recover from the March 2011 disasters, the Fukushima prefectural government has expanded subsidies for six areas, including the category of drones and robots, with a view to promoting the accumulation of cutting-edge technology and supporting startups. This has helped make the prefecture a mecca for drone-related companies, according to a senior prefectural official. In June 2024, Fukushima was designated by the central government as a national strategic special zone, where regulations have been eased with the aim of facilitating the realization of drone logistics. This enabled Eams Robotics to conduct more advanced experiments, such as flexibly setting routes for Level 4 drone flights over inhabited areas without visual observation by operators. Following the deregulation, the company has actively conducted tests, including flying multiple drones at once and flying a drone over a railroad track. “We are eager to make drone logistics commonplace by fiscal 2030,” Eams Robotics President Eiji Sotani said. Drones are expected to not only reduce labor costs in logistics services and costs of deliveries to remote areas, but also play key roles in times of disaster. Following the January 2024 powerful earthquake in the Noto Peninsula in central Japan, which cut off many roads and left many communities isolated, drone-related companies including Eams Robotics went to affected areas to cooperate in aerial damage surveys and relief supply deliveries. “We played a critical role amid the prolonged isolation of affected communities,” Sotani said, emphasizing the huge impact of the growing drone industry on society. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]