Yamato Holdings Co. said Friday it has agreed to jointly develop an unmanned cargo aircraft with Bell Helicopter Textron Inc. of the United States, aiming to launch the "flying truck" by the mid-2020s amid a labor shortage in the logistics industry. Yamato said it will develop the cargo container, while Bell will build the body of the autonomous aircraft. The companies expect the vehicle will carry cargo weighing up to 453 kilograms at 160 kph, be able to take off and land vertically, and cruise horizontally. Japanese logistics companies are keen to introduce cutting-edge technologies such as robots and drones to address a shortage of delivery staff and enhance business efficiency. In a related move, the government has begun discussions with private businesses on the practical use of flying cars, with a goal of commercializing them in the 2020s.

Yamato Transport Co. and e-commerce and mobile game operator DeNA Co. on Monday started a trial of a new on-demand delivery method that allows customers to retrieve parcels at a place and time of their choosing. With a view that autonomous driving will soon become commonplace, the two companies will use the results from the self-service trial to develop their unmanned parcel delivery services in the future. DeNA is cooperating with Yamato Transport to provide systems support. Until the end of March 2018, the service area for on-demand delivery, named Roboneko (robot cat) Yamato, will extend to parts of Fujisawa in Kanagawa Prefecture, which is designated a national strategic special zone. Three dedicated vehicles deliver packages between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. every day.