Rakuten and Seiyu announce drone delivery first in Japan

Rakuten and Seiyu are working on a drone service that will deliver products from the Seiyu LIVIN store in Yokosuka City, Kanagawa Prefecture, to visitors to Sarushima, an island in Tokyo Bay and popular tourist spot.

This will launch on 4th July and run for around three months, depending on weather conditions. It is the first commercial drone delivery service to a remote island pitched at general users in Japan. Visitors to Sarushima who download the Rakuten Drone app can place orders with the Seiyu LIVIN Yokosuka store. Approximately 400 products are included in the service, such as fresh produce for barbecues, beverages and first aid products. Chilled delivery items are sent using specially designed insulated bags developed by Seiyu.

Tamae Takeda, Executive Senior Vice President of Seiyu's EC Division, says: "We have been looking into drone deliveries for our online supermarket, and we are very excited to work with Rakuten in this field. In the future, through the Rakuten Seiyu Netsuper joint venture, we want to contribute to enriching the lives of more customers by delivering high-quality products at low prices to everyone, including those who have difficulty shopping at stores."