NEWS

On Wednesday, July 2, 2025, an industry-academia-government workshop was held at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (APU) to explore the future practical application of flying cars, a next-generation air mobility technology garnering increasing attention. This initiative is part of a research and planning project supported by Oita Prefecture’s FY2025 Subsidy Program for the Development of Commercial Services for Next-Generation Air Mobility. The project is led by a consortium of five companies: Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu), SkyDrive Inc., Skyports Ltd., JTB Corp., and Kanematsu Corporation.

The workshop brought together a diverse group of stakeholders from Oita Prefecture, including government officials, industry representatives, and members of the general public, to discuss potential use cases for flying cars and envision a future shaped by this innovative technology.

With three main objectives—(1) envisioning the future of Oita with flying cars, (2) exploring possible local use cases, and (3) identifying new business opportunities related to flying car infrastructure—the workshop attracted around 70 participants. These included officials from the Kyushu Regional Development Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism; Oita Prefecture; Beppu City; Yufu City; tourism associations; and representatives from sectors such as finance, transportation, real estate, hospitality, telecommunications, insurance, and leasing. Students and faculty members from APU, along with members of the consortium companies, also joined the discussions.

Participants were divided into four groups to identify the current challenges facing the Beppu and Yufuin regions. Then, they explored how flying cars might help solve these issues and discussed priorities for potential implementation. APU students contributed actively, having studied local comprehensive strategies in advance to better understand the communities involved.

Although commercial flying cars have not yet been introduced in Japan, Oita Prefecture holds significant potential due to factors such as reducing travel time between Beppu and Yufuin and enhancing the value of local tourism resources. With the ambition of making Oita the first prefecture in Japan to host a commercial flying car service (^*to be operated by a private company, not the prefecture itself), the consortium partners approached the workshop with strong motivation and forward-thinking ideas.

One student participant shared their excitement, saying, “I used to think flying cars were a thing of the distant future, but learning that they may soon become a reality made me excited to see that our ideas could truly contribute to society.” As this suggests, the event provided a valuable opportunity for practical learning and engagement.

Several more workshops in this series will be held, culminating in a symposium scheduled to take place before the end of the 2025 academic year. APU remains committed to providing hands-on learning experiences like this one, while continuing to collaborate with local communities to address real-world challenges.