News Driving schools in Japan turn to drone courses as demand soars

[thomas]

With fewer young people signing up for lessons, driving schools around Japan are turning to a different kind of vehicle: drones. The shrinking birthrate has left operators with fewer students, prompting them to expand into training courses for uncrewed aircraft. The aim, insiders say, is to build skills that promote safety "not only on the roads but in the skies as well." At Fukaya Driving School in Saitama Prefecture, for instance, a class begins with cones unloaded from a shuttle van and set up on a softball field along the Tonegawa River before the drone practice gets underway.

Photo credit: Asada Tomonori via Asahi

As of July, 820 institutions nationwide were registered with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism to provide drone practice programs. Of the total, more than 100 businesses were affiliated with car driving school operators, nearly triple the number compared with two years ago. Officials say the falling birthrate is to blame for the shrinking client base at driving schools. National Police Agency statistics show that 1.85 million people graduated from driving schools in 2006. The figure dropped to 1.51 million in 2024. Financial difficulties reduced the overall school enrollment to 1,288 from 1,441.

Driving schools turn to drones as business takes off in Japan | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis