Wisk and Japan Airlines Engineering Sign Memorandum of Understanding with The City of Kaga to Accelerate Advanced Air Mobility in Japan

PARIS & MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 16, 2025--

Wisk Aero, a leading Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) company and developer of the first all-electric, self-flying air taxi in the U.S., today announced it has signed a three-party Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with The City of Kaga, Ishikawa, Japan, and Japan Airlines' subsidiary, JAL Engineering Co., Ltd (JALEC). This unprecedented partnership will establish opportunities for introducing autonomous air travel in Japan.

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Building on Wisk’s existing partnership with Japan Airlines (JAL) and JALEC, the new scope of the collaboration with Kaga City will focus on several key areas, namely:

Kaga City has been designated by the Japanese government as a national strategic special zone. It has also paved the way for mobility initiatives within the city by establishing the Next-Generation Air Mobility Consortium in Japan. These efforts make Kaga City an ideal location for the development, testing, and validation of autonomous air mobility.

“We are excited to deepen our commitment to Japan and further our partnership with JAL through this new collaboration with Kaga City,” said Sebastien Vigneron, CEO of Wisk. “Japan is a key market for the introduction of AAM, and Kaga City’s forward-thinking approach to future mobility, coupled with its special zone designation, provides an ideal environment for us to explore and demonstrate the benefits of our Gen 6 aircraft. This partnership is a significant step towards building the necessary ecosystem for autonomous flight in Japan.”

“This three-way partnership will play a central role in realizing autonomous AAM in Japanese society,” said Hiroki Haraikawa, Vice President of Marketing & Sales, JALEC. “JALEC, together with Wisk and Kaga City, leverages this opportunity to demonstrate the emerging technology and build the nationwide trustworthiness about the safety of autonomous operations.”

Riku Miyamoto, Mayor of Kaga City, said, “As the first step in Wisk's business expansion into Japan, Kaga City will strongly support the establishment of an operations base and support the construction of an AAM operation model in collaboration with JALEC. Kaga City is a local government with a population of approximately 62,000 people, but because the city has been selected as a national strategic special zone, we are able to carry out bold regulatory development in Japan. The advantage of not being a big city like Tokyo or Osaka is that there is a high degree of freedom as a research and development field, and one-stop arrangements are possible.”

About Wisk

Wisk is an Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) company dedicated to creating a future for air travel that elevates people, communities, and aviation. Wisk is developing the first autonomous, passenger-carrying electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxi in the U.S. Wisk is a wholly-owned Boeing subsidiary and is headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area, with locations around the world. With over a decade of experience and over 1750+ test flights, Wisk is shaping the future of daily commutes and urban travel, safely and sustainably. Learn more about Wisk here.

Japan Airlines Engineering Co., City of Kaga, and Wisk

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo blocked a shot by LeBron James and stole the ball from him on consecutive possessions in the final minute, and the Milwaukee Bucks blew a fourth-quarter lead before rallying for a 105-101 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night.

Kevin Porter Jr. scored 22 points, and he hit two free throws to break a tie after Antetokounmpo blocked a driving layup attempt by James with 39 seconds left.

Antetokounmpo then knocked the ball out of James' hands from behind with 2 seconds left, and Porter hit two more free throws to seal Milwaukee's fifth win in seven games — its first over a team with a winning record since Dec. 11. Antetokounmpo finished with 21 points in his lowest-scoring effort since returning from his right calf strain.

Luka Doncic had 24 points and nine assists on 8-of-25 shooting for the Lakers. He had his lowest-scoring performance since Christmas, and he fouled out on Porter's 3-point attempt with 16.2 seconds to play.

James had 26 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds, but Antetokoumpo got the best of the top scorer in NBA history at crunch time. Los Angeles has lost six of 10.

Milwaukee surged to a double-digit lead in the first half even with Antetokounmpo on a minutes restriction in his injury return. Doncic scored 12 points in the third quarter but also committed four fouls in the period, including his fifth of the game.

Los Angeles abruptly erased its deficit by going on a 17-4 run to open the fourth, with James putting the Lakers ahead when he stole the ball from Antetokounmpo for a layup with 6:02 left. Milwaukee missed nine of its first 12 shots in the period, but Porter's layup tied it with two minutes left.

Lakers starters Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura remain sidelined by injury, but Hachimura (calf) might return early next week from his six-game absence, coach JJ Redick said.

Bucks: At Denver on Sunday.

Lakers: At Sacramento on Monday.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA

Los Angeles Lakers guard Marcus Smart, left, tries to shoot as Milwaukee Bucks guard Gary Trent Jr. defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic, left, and Milwaukee Bucks guard Kevin Porter Jr. go after a loose ball during the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)