Mizuho Lease and Prodrone to launch drone subscription service this fall

Mizuho Lease Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo, President and CEO: Akira Nakamura, hereinafter referred to as "Mizuho Lease") and Prodrone Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture, President and CEO: Shunsuke Toya, hereinafter referred to as "Prodrone") have entered into a business partnership agreement for the purpose of developing a drone subscription service (hereinafter referred to as the "Service"). Drones are expected to become infrastructure of the near future in mountainous areas and remote islands under the digital garden city-nation concept, and their utilization is also important from the perspective of national resilience, which aims to make Japan a "strong and flexible Japan." Currently, drones are used for a variety of purposes such as logistics, equipment inspection, and surveying, and the market is expected to expand, especially in urban areas, due to the enforcement of the revised Civil Aeronautics Act on December 5, 2022, regarding unassisted unvisible flight in manned areas (Level 4 flight). Therefore, Mizuho Lease and ProDrone are launching a drone subscription service to help customers focus on their drone business. Mizuho Lease and Prodrone create drones (PD4B-M) We manage aircraft registration and maintenance, and lend out aircraft when customers wish to use them. Through this service, we aim to solve various social issues and realize a sustainable society.

“Small laser surveying drone (multipurpose) PD4B-M” Maximum payload is 10kg. A 30-minute flight is possible when a 5kg small laser surveying device is loaded.

■Comment from Norio Sumi, Managing Executive Officer, Mizuho Lease Co., Ltd.

"In our company's ``creation of new value through technology,'' which we advocate as a promotion of sustainability management, we believe that the use of drones is a part of the technological devices that play a role in solving social issues. We believe that our efforts with Prodrone, which has high technological capabilities, will enable us to provide solutions that accurately capture customer needs, and we will continue to deepen our collaboration with Prodrone to create synergistic social value."

■Comment from Shunsuke Toya, President and Representative Director of Prodrone Co., Ltd.

"Since our founding in 2015, PRODRONE has been promoting the safe use of drones to customers across Japan. In order to contribute to solving social and regional issues with industrial drones, we will work with Mizuho Lease to further develop services that meet customer needs, starting with the PD4B-M, which we have begun mass production on."

[Company information]■Mizuho Lease Co., Ltd. https://www.mizuho-ls.co.jp We provide a wide range of financial and business services using our expertise in "things", deep understanding of commercial flows, and advanced financial know-how. By integrating new business strategies that respond to the sophistication of customers' business models, initiatives in our group's focus areas, and strategic initiatives through collaboration with alliance partners, we will take on the challenge of co-creating value with customers and developing new businesses in expanding domestic and overseas business fields. (Listed on TSE Prime)■Prodrone Co., Ltd. https://www.prodrone.com/jp With the vision of "becoming the most trusted drone company in the region," we aim to build a drone ecosystem in the Chubu region. We carry out one-stop in-house development and production of industrial drones, including the PD6B-Type3 multicopter, which has started mass production with a recommended payload of 20 kg, and the PDH-GS120 helicopter, which can fly for two hours and has excellent weather resistance.[Contact information]■Mizuho Lease Co., Ltd. Corporate Planning Department1-2-6 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-0001 TEL 03-5253-6540■Prodrone Co., Ltd. Sales Department1-115 Nakahira, Tenpaku-ku, Nagoya, Aichi 468-0014 Email: info-jp@prodrone.com