Aeronext and Yamatane Enter into Business Partnership to Accelerate Real-World Deployment of AI-Powered Agricultural Operations

-Combining Simultaneous Remote Autonomous Operation^*1 and AI Technologies Developed Through Logistics to Build Next-Generation Aerial Infrastructure Supporting Sustainable Agriculture and Local Communities-

　Aeronext Inc. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; President & Group CEO: Keisuke Toji; hereinafter “Aeronext”) and Yamatane Corporation (Headquarters: Koto-ku, Tokyo; President: Iwao Kawarada; hereinafter “Yamatane”) have entered into a business partnership agreement to accelerate the real-world deployment of next-generation agricultural operations utilizing AI and remote drone operation technologies.

　Under the partnership, the two companies will combine Aeronext’s drone operation expertise and Simultaneous Remote Autonomous Operation technologies developed through the real-world deployment of its SkyHub^TM Smart Logistics platform with Yamatane’s expertise, business foundation, and network in the agricultural sector.

　The two companies will jointly develop a new agricultural operation model that separates on-site field work from drone piloting and operation, enabling multiple drones to be efficiently managed and operated remotely from a centralized location.

　Looking ahead, the companies will explore the use of AI to further enhance flight and operational capabilities, as well as expand into agricultural support services such as crop growth monitoring and field management.

　Through these initiatives, Aeronext and Yamatane and aim to address social challenges facing the agricultural sector, including labor shortages, an aging workforce, and the physical burden of agricultural work, while supporting sustainable agricultural operations. In the longer term, the companies aim to establish next-generation aerial infrastructure that can serve multiple purposes across agriculture, logistics, disaster response, and other areas.

Background and Objectives of the Partnership

　Japan’s agricultural sector is facing an accelerating shortage of workers and an aging agricultural workforce. Labor-intensive tasks such as pesticide spraying, as well as the physical burden of working in extreme summer heat, are among the factors contributing to farmers leaving the industry and the growing shortage of successors.

　While agricultural drones are becoming increasingly widespread, the operational burden after deployment—including securing qualified operators, preparing flight plans, managing drone operations, and completing various regulatory procedures—remains a major challenge to broader adoption.

　As Yamatane expands its business activities in the agricultural sector, the company has been exploring new service models aimed at reducing labor requirements and improving operational efficiency while supporting sustainable agricultural practices.

　Meanwhile, through the real-world deployment of SkyHub^TM Smart Logistics, Aeronext has accumulated extensive expertise and operational know-how in drone operations, remote monitoring and control, flight planning, and operational management. Aeronext is currently advancing its Simultaneous Remote Autonomous Operation technology, which enables a single operator to manage and operate multiple drones simultaneously.

　In April 2024, Yamatane made an investment in Aeronext with a view to developing solutions primarily in the logistics sector, deepening mutual understanding of the two companies’ technologies and businesses. In May 2026, Yamatane made an additional investment after recognizing the potential for Aeronext’s drone operation expertise and multi-drone simultaneous operation capabilities developed in the logistics sector to be applied to agricultural operations, including pesticide spraying and field management.

　Through this partnership, the two companies will combine their respective expertise, networks, and operational technologies to establish a new agricultural operation model that reduces labor requirements and improves productivity in agricultural operations.

Overview of the Business Partnership

1. Agreement Date                  August 25, 2026 

2. Objectives and Initiatives

　The two companies will jointly pursue the following initiatives.

1) Joint Development of a Next-Generation Agricultural Operation Model
　Aeronext and Yamatane will jointly develop a new agricultural drone operation model that separates on-site field work from drone piloting and operation.
　At agricultural sites, personnel will perform only the on-site tasks required for drone operations, such as replacing pesticides and batteries and conducting aircraft inspections.
　Meanwhile, flight planning, piloting, remote monitoring, and operational management will be conducted from a remote operations center.
　This model will reduce the burden of securing drone operators at agricultural sites while improving safety and service quality through the centralization and standardization of drone operations.

2) Labor Reduction Through Simultaneous Remote Autonomous Operation
　The companies will utilize Aeronext’s Simultaneous Remote Autonomous Operation technology currently under development to establish a one-to-many operation model, in which a single operator can simultaneously manage and operate multiple drones.
　By increasing the number of aircraft that each operator can manage, the model is expected to reduce the personnel required for piloting and operations and lower the operating costs of agricultural drone services.
　This will enable the development of a business model capable of providing stable services at prices that are more accessible to farmers and agricultural corporations.

3) Demonstration and Real-World Deployment in Agricultural Operations
　Going forward, the two companies will conduct demonstration projects at agricultural sites, including those operated by Yamatane’s business partners, focusing initially on applications such as pesticide spraying.
　Through these demonstrations, the companies will evaluate the division of responsibilities between on-site field work and remote drone operations, as well as the operational structure, safety, work efficiency, and costs. Based on the results, they aim to expand the model to agricultural service providers, agricultural corporations, and contracted agricultural service operators across Japan.

4) Advancing Agricultural Operations Through AI
　The two companies will explore expanding beyond pesticide spraying into AI-powered agricultural support services, including crop growth monitoring and field management.
　They will also utilize flight data, operational data, and field data accumulated through demonstrations and actual operations to develop functions that improve the efficiency of flight and drone operations and optimize agricultural work.In addition, the companies will consider jointly developing and operating aircraft and services that can be used for multiple agricultural applications, including pesticide spraying, sensing, and field management.

3. The Vision Shared by Yamatane and Aeronext

　This partnership is not simply an initiative to provide agricultural drones.
　By combining Aeronext’s drone operation technologies and Simultaneous Remote Autonomous Operation technologies developed through its experience in the logistics sector with Yamatane’s expertise, business foundation, and network in the agricultural sector, the two companies aim to establish a new agricultural operation model that separates on-site field work from drone piloting and operation.
　By centralizing piloting and operational functions at remote operations centers and efficiently operating multiple aircraft across multiple locations, the companies aim to address labor shortages in agricultural operations and build new social infrastructure that supports higher productivity and sustainable agriculture.
　Looking ahead, the companies aim to evolve this infrastructure into next-generation aerial infrastructure supporting local communities in both everyday and emergency situations by utilizing the same aircraft, facilities, communications infrastructure, and operational management platform not only for agriculture, but also for regional logistics and information gathering and transportation of supplies during disasters.

4. Future Outlook

　Going forward, Aeronext and Yamatane will conduct demonstrations at agricultural sites to evaluate the effectiveness of agricultural operations that combine drones, AI, and remote operation.
　Based on the results of these demonstrations, the companies will work to standardize operational methods, on-site field work, aircraft specifications, safety management, service pricing, and other elements, with plans to gradually expand the model to agricultural service providers, agricultural corporations, and contracted agricultural service operators across Japan.
　In addition to pesticide spraying, the companies will explore the development and operation of versatile aircraft and services capable of addressing a wide range of challenges facing agricultural operations, including crop growth monitoring, field sensing, and field management.
　Furthermore, by leveraging data accumulated through drone operations and agricultural work, the companies will pursue applications such as AI-powered optimization of flight and drone operations, optimization of spraying activities, and crop growth management, with the goal of advancing agricultural operations as a whole.

Comments from the Representatives

Iwao Kawarada, President of Yamatane Corporation

　For more than 100 years since our founding in 1924, Yamatane has built its business alongside Japan’s rice industry. Today, rice-producing regions across Japan face a wide range of challenges. Under our guiding principle of “Supporting the Continuity of Rice-Producing Regions,” we are working to address these challenges and help ensure their sustainable development.

　Since Yamatane’s investment in Aeronext in April 2024, we have explored initiatives to develop solutions in the logistics sector and expand the applications of drones in agriculture by leveraging Aeronext’s technologies. We are therefore very pleased to launch this new initiative aimed at the real-world deployment of next-generation agricultural operations.

　Through this business partnership, the two companies will work together to address the social challenges facing rice-producing regions and contribute to the realization of sustainable farming operations.

Keisuke Toji, President & Group CEO of Aeronext Inc.

　We are very pleased to begin this initiative with Yamatane, which has supported Japan’s agricultural sector for many years, to advance the real-world deployment of next-generation agricultural operations.

　We believe that further adoption of agricultural drones requires not only improving aircraft performance, but also transforming the operation itself—including who operates the drones, from where, and how.

　By combining Aeronext’s expertise in remote autonomous operation and one-to-many drone operation developed through our work in the logistics sector with Yamatane’s extensive knowledge and network in agriculture, we aim to implement a new operational model that reduces the burden on agricultural operators and supports sustainable farming.

　Looking further ahead, we aim to evolve the aircraft, operational hubs, communications infrastructure, and remote operation platform used in agriculture into an aerial infrastructure that can also support logistics, disaster response, and other applications, enabling a single drone infrastructure to address a wide range of challenges facing local communities.

【For inquiries from the press regarding this news release】

Aeronext Inc. PR Dept. (Contact: Ito)
Tel: +81-3-6455-0626　Email: aeronext_pr@aeronext.com

Yamatane Corporation（Contact：Corporate Planning Department, Public Relations）
Tel: +81-3-3820-1116　Email： Contact Form

Reference

*1 Simultaneous Remote Autonomous Operation
A technology that enables a single operator to simultaneously monitor and control multiple unmanned vehicles—including drones, autonomous delivery robots, and unmanned surface vessels—from a remote monitoring and control center.

【About Aeronext Inc.】
　Guided by its mission, “Creating a world where prosperity reaches every corner through new social infrastructure for the 100-year life era,” Aeronext is pioneering the development of next-generation social infrastructure utilizing low-altitude airspace.

　In addition to its technology licensing business and joint development projects centered on its proprietary 4D GRAVITYTM center-of-gravity control technology, the company operates SkyHubTM, a New Smart Logistics platform that integrates and optimizes regional logistics, as well as drone operation services through its strategic subsidiary, NEXT DELIVERY Inc. SkyHubTM has already been deployed in multiple regions across Japan and continues to expand as a sustainable, phase-free regional logistics infrastructure that supports both everyday logistics and emergency transportation during disasters.

　Building on the Simultaneous Remote Autonomous Multi-Drone Operation technologies developed through its logistics business, Aeronext is also advancing the real-world deployment of Physical AI. The company is expanding its AI modules across a wide range of industries—including logistics, agriculture, infrastructure inspection, disaster response, and security—while developing a platform capable of seamlessly integrating and controlling diverse drones and robotic systems.

*Company profile: https://aeronext.com/about/company/

【About Yamatane Corporation】
　The Yamatane Group has built strong, long-standing relationships of trust with rice-producing regions across Japan since its founding in 1924, with the aim of delivering safe, reliable, and delicious rice to consumers.

　Under its corporate message, “Supporting the Continuity,” the Group has established a sustainability policy aimed at realizing a sustainable society together with all of its stakeholders.

　To put this policy into practice, the Group has identified “the development of local communities, rice-producing regions, and agriculture” as one of its key focus areas. While addressing the challenges facing Japanese agriculture, Yamatane is actively promoting businesses and initiatives that contribute to sustainable farming.

　Under its medium-term management plan, the Yamatane 2028 Plan, the Group has set the expansion of its food business value chain as a key objective and is further strengthening its strategy to expand upstream into agricultural production.

*Company profile:  https://www.yamatane.co.jp/en/

*Aeronext and the Aeronext logo, NEXT DELIVERY, “4D GRAVITYTM” and “SkyHubTM” are trademarks of Aeronext Inc. 

*Other company and product names mentioned in this press release are registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective companies.