SUZU (Japan): (Bernama-Kyodo) KDDI Corp. and Japan Post Co. recently held a trial using a post office in a central Japan city as a hub to deploy aerial drones for disaster support, with an eye on expanding the initiative nationwide, Kyodo News reported.
The programme in Suzu, Ishikawa Prefecture, also included trials to assess delivery route conditions during a disaster, conduct infrastructure inspections and monitor children's school commutes.
The initiative aims to use drones to address the shortage of personnel for safety checks in areas with falling populations.
Drones were deployed from the rooftop of a post office in Suzu as part of the trial, according to KDDI, a telecommunications company that also offers various drone services.
Drones were also flown from other hubs, such as a fire station and KDDI's existing drone operation post in the city, to identify challenges associated with operating multiple drones simultaneously.
A full-scale nationwide rollout is expected to begin in fiscal 2027 or later, the two companies said.
Japan Post says it hopes to develop an efficient, sustainable delivery system that incorporates drones amid worsening worker shortages.
"Local post offices are especially valuable because they can utilise drones in locations closer to people's daily lives," Masafumi Hirono, president of KDDI SmartDrone Inc., said at a press conference.
"We want to prioritise deployment in areas where labour shortages are most severe." - Bernama-Kyodo
