TOKYO – The Japanese government plans to establish permanent flight routes over a coastal area of Fukushima Prefecture this summer for testing drones and “flying cars,” which are being touted as the next-generation means of transportation.
The plan calls for three routes - across the sea, along the coast, and over land - connecting bases at the Fukushima Robot Test Field, located in Minami-Soma, and the Test Field Runway, 13km to the south in Namie.The routes will be determined by factors on the ground or sea to reduce the risk of injury to humans, such as vehicle crashes or other accidents. This includes avoiding skies over inhabited areas or above busy roads and other locations.
Test flight routes are largely set up only during approved testing periods, as it is rare to have permanent ones, according to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. The initiative envisages the participation of drone related companies at first, with test flights of flying cars coming at a future date.