Providing disaster relief in Japan
Late last year four Japanese companies collaborated in the Kumamoto prefecture’s disaster drill, testing rescue operations using drones.
Japan Airlines, Amami Island Drone (Aid), JDrone and Yamaha Motor came together on 18 and 19 December to participate in a drill for a large-scale earthquake. The exercise assumed that land routes to the Amakusa region were severed, requiring support via sea and air. Drones were used for reconnaissance as well as to transport relief supplies to the isolated Japanese islands.
The move followed the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake and the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake, which revealed the need for effective rescue and disaster management in the region. JAL coordinated the operations while Aid provided the drone equipment and the remote operators, with Yamaha Motor and JDrone providing support. (mk)