While most countries are taking a regulatory approach to VTOLs and other “flying car” technology, Japan is making their development a government priority. The Japanese government has been actively soliciting companies who have some skin in the point-to-point transportation game to develop a coordinated approach to help solve some daunting transportation challenges. According to TransportUp.com, the Ministry of Trade, Economy and Industry started meeting with private and public sector players last month in what it calls the “mobility service.” The list so far includes some prominent names.
This week Subaru and Boeing joined Toyota, Japan Airlines, ANA and Yamato Holdings (Japan’s FedEx) in getting the ball rolling. A major meeting of all those minds came together in the Public-Private Conference for Future Air Mobility on Aug. 29. The government wants a nationwide game plan for integrating the new technology into its transportation system. It has powerful incentive to overcome the legendary traffic problems, mountainous terrain and crowded urban areas that make getting from place to place difficult.
