• Zipline, a drone-based medical supplies delivery company, has started a commercial drone-based on-demand medical supplies delivery service across Goto Island, Japan, in partnership with Japanese trading company Toyota Tsusho Corporation, a subsidiary of the Toyota Group and a Zipline investor. This marks Zipline’s first project in Japan.

• Supplies will be delivered to pharmacies and hospitals across the island from a distribution center owned and operated by Sora-iina, a subsidiary of Toyota Tsusho created for the purpose. 

• Initially, deliveries will be conducted beyond visual line of sight up to 25 miles (roundtrip) carrying “hundreds of” medical products, with plans to expand both the coverage and items in the future.

<ul><li> Analyst QuickTake: Zipline is one of the most advanced startups in the drone delivery space, having conducted 293,000+ commercial deliveries to date—mostly in Africa, where its primary operations are. Today Zipline commences drone-based deliveries in Japan, after a year since the company first partnered with Toyota Tsusho for the purpose. Japan has been a market of interest recently, with several peer companies including Wingcopter, Matternet, and Skyports also tapping into the market in partnership with third parties. This is partially due to the Japanese Government actively recognizing the potential of drones.</ul>