ANA Holdings, Inc (ANA) and Joby Aviation, Inc., a company developing all-electric aircraft for commercial passenger service, announced it has partnered with Nomura Real Estate Development Co. Ltd. (NRE), one of Japan's largest real estate developers, on the development of take-off and landing infrastructure to support the commercialization of its electric air taxi service across Japan.

As part of the agreement, the three companies will jointly explore the design, location, operation, and financing of vertiport locations that will serve as the backbone of future commercial air taxi services in Japan.

ANA said the partners will primarily focus on locations in metropolitan areas such as Tokyo, expanding over time to include numerous urban areas across greater Japan.

Joby recently became a technical advisor to the Tokyo Bay eSG Project, led by NRE and sponsored by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, which will study various multi-modal mobility solutions, including a floating landing port in Tokyo Bay.

ANA and Joby first partnered in 2022 to bring electric air taxi services to Japan. NRE, one of the largest real estate developers in Japan, joins Joby and ANA HD as they seek to develop air taxi services in Japan.

Both Joby and ANA HD are members of Japan's Public-Private Conference for the Future Air Mobility Revolution, established by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry to accelerate the adoption of aerial ridesharing in the country.

Also, in 2022, Joby announced it had applied for validation of its forthcoming Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) type certification with the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB).

The company continues to work closely with regulatory officials from JCAB, including through ongoing familiarization activities, to prepare for commercial operations in the country.

The announcement said Joby's electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft could carry a pilot and four passengers at speeds of up to 200 mph, offering high-speed mobility with a fraction of the noise produced by helicopters and no in-flight emissions.