Wisk, JAL Engineering, and Kaga City Partner to Advance AAM in Japan
Wisk Aero, a pioneering U.S.-based Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) company and the developer behind the first all-electric, self-flying air taxi in the United States, has announced a landmark strategic partnership that promises to accelerate the introduction of autonomous air travel in Japan. The company has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the City of Kaga in Ishikawa Prefecture and JAL Engineering Co., Ltd. (JALEC), a wholly owned subsidiary of Japan Airlines (JAL).
This three-party collaboration represents a significant milestone for Japan’s emerging AAM ecosystem. It builds on Wisk’s existing alliance with JAL and JALEC and expands the scope of cooperation to include a forward-looking municipal government. Together, the trio will focus on creating the necessary conditions for the successful deployment of autonomous electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft in Japan, with Kaga City serving as a proving ground for the technology.
Key Areas of Focus
Under the MoU, the partnership will pursue a range of initiatives critical to the commercial and operational readiness of autonomous air mobility. These include:
- Regulatory and Airspace System Development: Working closely with local and national authorities to shape regulations, define operational frameworks, and adapt Japan’s airspace systems to accommodate autonomous eVTOL aircraft.
- Market Analysis and Development: Conducting research to identify commercial use cases, assess passenger demand, and evaluate routes and infrastructure needs for air taxi operations.
- Social Acceptance of AAM and Autonomous Aviation: Launching public education and community engagement campaigns to build trust and awareness about the safety and utility of autonomous flight technology.
- Supply Chain Support and Manufacturing Opportunities: Exploring local partnerships and industrial collaboration to support the manufacturing, assembly, and maintenance of eVTOL aircraft and associated infrastructure in Japan.
Each of these components is essential to establishing a viable AAM ecosystem, and Kaga City’s participation in the MoU provides a unique advantage.
Kaga City: A Strategic Launchpad for AAM Innovation
Kaga City, with a population of approximately 62,000 residents, has emerged as a proactive and strategic player in Japan’s next-generation mobility landscape. The city has been designated as a national strategic special zone, a status granted by the Japanese government to foster innovation through relaxed regulatory constraints and enhanced administrative flexibility.
Through this designation, Kaga City has positioned itself as a mobility innovation hub. The city also plays a leadership role in Japan’s Next-Generation Air Mobility Consortium, which was established to promote the development and deployment of eVTOL and drone technologies nationwide. These efforts make Kaga a natural choice for piloting Wisk’s autonomous aviation technologies and help enable real-world operational testing in a supportive regulatory environment.
Mayor Riku Miyamoto emphasized the city’s enthusiasm and readiness to support the initiative, stating:
“As the first step in Wisk’s business expansion into Japan, Kaga City will strongly support the establishment of an operations base and collaborate with JALEC to help build an operational model for AAM. While Kaga is a smaller city compared to metropolises like Tokyo or Osaka, its status as a national strategic special zone grants us flexibility and speed in regulatory development. This high degree of autonomy allows us to act as a powerful research and development field for transformative technologies like autonomous flight.”
Mayor Miyamoto also noted that the smaller scale of the city is not a limitation but rather a strategic asset. Kaga’s compact geography, streamlined governance, and close-knit community make it ideal for testing new transportation modes, gathering public feedback, and quickly iterating operational models.
Wisk’s Gen 6 Aircraft to Take Center Stage
At the heart of this initiative is Wisk’s sixth-generation (Gen 6) autonomous eVTOL aircraft, the most advanced model in the company’s development pipeline. As the first self-flying, four-seat, all-electric air taxi designed for certification under the FAA’s Part 23 framework, the Gen 6 is poised to redefine urban and regional air travel.
The aircraft features:
- Fully autonomous operation with human oversight
- Zero-emissions electric propulsion
- Vertical takeoff and landing capability for point-to-point convenience
- Advanced safety systems with multiple layers of redundancy
By bringing this aircraft to Japan, Wisk aims not only to validate its performance in new environments but also to demonstrate the broader societal and environmental benefits of autonomous aviation, including reduced traffic congestion, lower emissions, and improved regional connectivity.
Wisk’s CEO, Sebastien Vigneron, highlighted the importance of this new collaboration:
“We are excited to deepen our commitment to Japan and further strengthen our partnership with Japan Airlines through this new engagement with Kaga City. Japan is a critical market for the future of advanced air mobility, and Kaga City’s progressive stance on mobility innovation, combined with its special zone status, offers an ideal foundation for demonstrating the potential of our Gen 6 aircraft. This collaboration represents a meaningful step forward in building the ecosystem necessary for autonomous flight in Japan.”
JALEC’s Role in Building Public Trust and Technical Readiness
As the engineering and maintenance arm of Japan Airlines, JALEC brings deep expertise in aircraft operations, safety certification, and technical support—critical capabilities as the industry transitions to more automated forms of flight.
Hiroki Haraikawa, JALEC’s Vice President of Marketing & Sales, underscored the importance of public confidence in autonomous aviation:
“This three-way partnership will play a central role in realizing autonomous AAM within Japanese society. JALEC, working alongside Wisk and Kaga City, will help lead efforts to validate this emerging technology and build national awareness about the safety and reliability of autonomous operations. Trust is fundamental, and our role is to ensure that trust is earned through rigorous technical standards, transparent testing, and continuous public engagement.”
Building Japan’s AAM Ecosystem—One City at a Time
The Wisk-JALEC-Kaga City collaboration represents a significant step toward the realization of AAM in Japan—not just as a technological feat, but as a practical, sustainable, and socially embraced mode of transportation.
The partnership highlights Japan’s unique approach to innovation, where government support, municipal leadership, and private sector expertise come together to build the infrastructure of the future. It also exemplifies Wisk’s strategic focus on establishing localized partnerships to adapt its technology to regional needs and gain regulatory and public traction.
As global interest in autonomous aviation continues to grow, initiatives like this one in Kaga City offer a blueprint for other countries and cities looking to harness the benefits of AAM. Through collaborative planning, policy innovation, and community engagement, Wisk and its Japanese partners are laying the groundwork for a new era of aviation—one that is quieter, cleaner, more accessible, and ultimately safer.