Japan has run a cargo-carrying drone test in the first government-designated air corridor north of Tokyo.
The 150-kilometer route runs along power lines and a dam in the mountainous Chichibu area of Saitama Prefecture.
The corridor is one of two opened in March last year as part of government projects to tap digital technologies.
The test on Thursday involved a drone carrying a container of water about 1 kilometer to the other side of the dam.
The route is currently used for maintenance of power lines, but local businesses also want to use it.
One local company official said businesses hope to use drones to move products between factories as the region faces a labor shortage. The drones may also be used for bridge inspections.
