TOYOTA, Japan--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 25, 2026--
SkyDrive Inc. (“SkyDrive”), a leading compact eVTOL aircraft (*1) developer based in Japan, today announced that it has received the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Award (MLIT Award) at the Japan Startup Awards 2026. Hosted by Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), the government-sponsored awards program honors startups that have created high-impact businesses to serve as role models for the next generation.
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SkyDrive was recognized for its technological achievements in developing compact, highly economical eVTOL aircraft designed for daily transportation. Amid intensifying global competition in Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), SkyDrive has steadily advanced its aircraft development, including conducting Japan's first public crewed flight test in 2020 and completing demonstration flights at Expo 2025 Osaka. The selection committee commended SkyDrive for driving the once-in-a-century mobility revolution forward to address urban traffic congestion and regional mobility challenges.
Tomohiro Fukuzawa, founder and CEO of SkyDrive, attended the commendation ceremony held at the Prime Minister's Official Residence. At the commendation ceremony held at the Prime Minister's Official Residence, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi experienced operating the SKYDRIVE eVTOL aircraft over Tokyo via a flight simulator. When inquiring about the company's business progress following Expo 2025 Osaka, the Prime Minister was shown video footage of high-speed flights and briefed on global pre-order figures. Offering her encouragement, she remarked, "It is truly remarkable how far you have come."
“We are deeply honored to receive the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Award,” said Fukuzawa. “Since our founding, we have been dedicated to making daily air mobility a reality through safe, compact and cost-effective eVTOL aircraft. This recognition reflects the collective efforts of our team, partners and supporters. We will continue working closely with civil aviation authorities and industry partners to prepare for our commercial launch in 2028.”
About the Japan Startup Awards
The Japan Startup Awards recognize entrepreneurs and startups that have created innovative businesses with significant societal impact. The program aims to foster an entrepreneurial mindset across society and highlight the importance of tackling new challenges.
About the SKYDRIVE (SD-05 model)
Designed for commercial service launch in 2028, the SKYDRIVE (SD-05 model) is a lightweight, compact and quiet eVTOL aircraft compared to conventional helicopters. Its electric powertrain features a simplified structure, reducing manufacturing and maintenance costs. Operating with a small footprint, the aircraft can take off and land in limited spaces, such as building rooftops in urban centers.
In March 2024, SkyDrive initiated serial production at a plant owned by Suzuki Motor Corporation, SkyDrive's official production partner, capable of producing up to 100 aircraft annually. In flight testing, SkyDrive verified stable flight performance at speeds of 100 km/h in June 2026 and has achieved more than 300 accident-free flight tests to date.
Announcement from METI:
https://www.meti.go.jp/press/2026/09/20260925002.html
Announcement from MLIT:
https://www.mlit.go.jp/report/press/sogo17_hh_000215.html
About SkyDrive Inc.
SkyDrive is a Japanese compact eVTOL company aiming "to take the lead in the once-in-a-century mobility revolution." The company began testing eVTOL prototypes in 2014 prior to official incorporation in 2018. Under its future vision for urban transportation, flying in eVTOLs will become a regular part of city life. In 2019, SkyDrive became the first company to fly a crewed eVTOL in Japan. In 2025, the company successfully showcased SKYDRIVE, the company's first commercial eVTOL product, with demonstration flights at the Osaka Expo witnessed by thousands of visitors over a one-month period. SkyDrive began production of SKYDRIVE in March 2024 at a plant owned by Suzuki Motor Corporation, SkyDrive's official production partner. SkyDrive has been working with civil aviation authorities in Japan and the U.S. to obtain certification for SKYDRIVE, with the aim of launching the aircraft into service in 2028. SkyDrive is headquartered in Toyota, Aichi Prefecture and led by CEO Tomohiro Fukuzawa, an engineer and entrepreneur.
For more information, please visit: https://skydrive.co.jp/en/
Tomohiro Fukuzawa, founder and CEO of SkyDrive (left), and MLIT Parliamentary Vice-Minister Kenta Aoshima (right)
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi visiting the SkyDrive booth
PARIS (AP) — As Pope Leo XIV prepares to meet this weekend with survivors of sexual abuse by clergy in France, an independent body created to address decades of church abuse is wrapping up its work and taking stock.
France's Independent National Authority for Recognition and Reparation, or INIRR announced this week that about 2,000 people who reported being sexually abused by priests or other church representatives have sought reparations.
France’s Catholic bishops’ conference agreed to provide compensation after a 2021 report estimated some 330,000 children were sexually abused over 70 years by priests or other church-related figures in France. The report described a “systemic” cover-up by church officials and urged the French Catholic Church to respect the rule of law.
Here's a look at how France addressed the abuse, by the numbers:
Over 1,184 decisions granting financial or other reparations from the church have formally been made by the INIRR.
Hundreds of other cases are still awaiting a decision. Some 183 people reached out to the independent body this year.
The INIRR closed to new submissions on Aug. 31, after completing its scheduled mandate, but is still accompanying victims until the end of next year.
It is to be replaced by another body, meant to be permanent and focusing on restorative justice, long-term guidance, and support for victims of sexual violence within the church.
After completing the process, survivors receive a “letter of recognition” that formally acknowledges the sexual abuse and details the financial compensation.
“The letter was a shock wave for me,” said Cécile Reneaume, 34, who received reparations from INIRR after she was abused as a young child by the leader of a Catholic community, who has since died.
“I was expecting a very small amount of financial compensation — that’s how I had imagined it. But when I read the letter, it said: ‘The church acknowledges these specific failings'," she described.
“It meant that the little girl who once had been unable to speak was finally believed. It gave weight and credibility to what happened to me as a child,” Reneaume said.
The Associated Press generally doesn’t identify victims of sexual assault or abuse unless they come forward publicly or give their consent to be identified.
Survivors who went through the process were awarded an average of 36,892 euros ($42,186) each.
Once the INIRR approves the financial compensation, the case is sent to a special fund financed by the church for payment.
“My first reaction was violent,” said Eric, 55, who didn’t want his last name to be public, when he was informed of the amount. “I felt anger, disbelief. Am I worth this?”
Eric was raped by a priest when he was between ages 8 and 14.
“It took me time to understand that it wasn’t me who was being assessed, nor was it about putting a price on what I had suffered, because you can’t put a price on a childhood," he said.
The compensation is intended to financially support the healing process.
People reaching out to INIRR last year were aged 56 on average, about two-thirds were men and one-third were women.
Among them, Philippe Gomes was 49 in 2023 when a session of therapeutic hypnosis helped him remember he had been a victim of sexual abuse by two priests from age 7 to 12. Survivors may experience complete or partial loss of memory due to the traumatic events.
“I reached out to the INIRR and that was a real shock, because the first thing I was told was: ‘I believe you,’" Gomes said.
Gomes said the therapy he is undergoing has helped him say he was raped without crying.
"I'm not ashamed, I'm not the one who should be ashamed," he said.
Reparations also may include nonfinancial support. Requests have included help for victims to write down their stories, organizing meetings with local church representatives, or installing a plaque in memory of victims.
The pope will meet privately with seven survivors on Sunday, at the Catholic pilgrimage site in Lourdes.
Meanwhile, a group of victims asked Leo to acknowledge the Catholic Church’s responsibility in the widespread abuse. In an open letter published Friday by French newspaper Liberation, they called themselves survivors of sexual violence “from members of your community,” and expressed fears that Leo’s visit “will change nothing.”
“Because once again you will address, as in Lourdes, victims who have been carefully selected in ‘complete confidentiality’ and, faced with crimes committed within your ranks, you limit yourself to asking us for forgiveness,” they wrote.
Activists fighting child abuse stage a protest near the home of a former Catholic priest suspected of sexually assaulting dozens of children, in Etrechy, outside Paris, Wednesday, Sept 16, 2026, Placards read from the left: '330,000 victims of child sexual abuse, never again' and Delfosse, the church knew'. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
