A Remote Island Logistic Service Utilizing FAZER
Receives a Japan Open Innovation Award
Logistic services utilizing Yamaha’s FAZER R G2, an automated navigation industrial-use unmanned helicopter, was recognized by Japan’s central government. The Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Award was given to the "Resident Services Utilizing Drones for Normal and Emergency Situations in Setouchi Town, Amami Oshima." The Cabinet Office, Government of Japan presented the award to the prize winner at the 7th Japan Open Innovation Prizes, or JOIP, on February 5th, 2025.
The prize was given to the collaborators of the initiative; Japan Airlines Co., Ltd., Amami Island Drone Co., Ltd., Setouchi Town in Kagoshima Prefecture, National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Resilience, and University of Tsukuba. The award-winning initiative was a collaborative effort by industry, government, and academia to establish a drone-based logistic infrastructure designed to function under normal and emergency circumstances (phase-free) and to create a sustainable community.
JOIP celebrates innovative and pioneering initiatives that accelerate Japan’s open innovation, and the prize is given to projects that serve as role models, have a positive impact on communities, and promote sustainability. This year’s winning initiative offers a solution to logistical challenges and disaster response in remote islands. It also demonstrates the leadership in creating a sustainable community as well as a disaster response model in isolated areas and its potential to be deployed in other regions. The prize was a testament to the government’s recognition of all these values that the initiative presents.
Award Ceremony (Presentation of the Initiative):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xo_qEb2Q0k8 (Link to Japan Airlines Co., Ltd. official YouTube channel)
ADACHI Hajime, Marketing Division, Unmanned System Business Development Section, Solution Business Operations (YMC)