"Japan Post to Start Delivering Letters and Packages by Drone as Early as Fiscal Year 2023"

Japan Post to Start Delivering Letters and Packages by Drone as Early as Fiscal Year 2023

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Welcome to "Learn Japanese from the News."
 
Join us as we learn Japanese and about the country from Japanese-language news stories. Today's headline is…
 
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日本郵便（にっぽんゆうびん）　2023年度（ねんど）からドローンで手紙（てがみ）や荷物（にもつ）を届（とど）ける
 
"Japan Post to Start Delivering Letters and Packages by Drone as Early as Fiscal Year 2023"
This news story was published on NEWS WEB EASY's website on January 1st.
 
Now let's go over some vocab words that will help us understand what's going on.
 
ドローン
drone, as in the unmanned aerial vehicle
 
日本郵便（にっぽんゆうびん）
Japan Post
 
飛（と）ばす
to make something fly
 
Let's keep these words in mind as we listen.
 
「ドローンを飛（と）ばすときのルールが2022年（ねん）12月（がつ）に変（か）わりました。操縦（そうじゅう）している人（ひと）からドローンが見（み）えなくても、家（いえ）などがある場所（ばしょ）の上（うえ）でドローンを飛（と）ばすことができるようになりました。
このため、日本郵便（にっぽんゆうびん）はドローンで手紙（てがみ）や荷物（にもつ）を届（とど）けるサービスを2023年度（ねんど）から始（はじ）める予定（よてい）です。使（つか）うドローンは、ポストのような赤（あか）い色（いろ）で、大（おお）きさは1m50cmぐらいです。全部（ぜんぶ）で5kgの荷物（にもつ）を、35km離（はな）れた所（ところ）まで運（はこ）ぶことができます。山（やま）が多（おお）い所（ところ）や島（しま）など、荷物（にもつ）を運（はこ）ぶ人（ひと）が足（た）りない所（ところ）からサービスを始（はじ）める予定（よてい）です。」
 
Japan Post aims to start using drones to make deliveries in fiscal year 2023, which starts in April. They will introduce the new service in mountainous areas and remote islands that are facing a shortage of delivery drivers.
 
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Now let's break down the following sentence from the story.
 
操縦（そうじゅう）している人（ひと）からドローンが見（み）えなくても、家（いえ）などがある場所（ばしょ）の上（うえ）でドローンを飛（と）ばすことができるようになりました。
 "Operators can now fly drones over residential areas even if they do not have a line of sight."
 
Japanese has transitive and intransitive verbs.
In the phrase ドローンを飛（と）ばす, the verb 飛（と）ばす is transitive. We use transitive verbs to describe a subject acting upon an object. So here it refers to a person "acting upon" a drone, that is, piloting it through the air.
 
In contrast, let's say there was a bird flying through the air. The bird is flying on its own, so we'd use the intransitive verb 飛（と）ぶ. So it's 鳥（とり）が飛（と）ぶ.
 
It's important to distinguish between the transitive use ドローンを飛（と）ばす and the intransitive use 鳥（とり）が飛（と）ぶ.
We also heard the phrase ドローンが見（み）えなくても, which means "even if you cannot see the drone." We attachても after a verb or adjective to describe a condition that is the opposite of what you might expect.
 
Up until now, drone pilots had to keep their aircraft within their line of sight when flying remotely over residential areas. The thinking was that you shouldn't be flying your drone where you can't see it. But now the law has been revised so you can fly it beyond your line of sight — a change that seems counterintuitive.
 
That's why theてもform is used in the sentence ドローンが見（み）えなくてもドローンを飛（と）ばすことができる.
Or let's say you're organizing an event. Oftentimes events are held "weather permitting." But if you plan on going ahead rain or shine, you might say 雨（あめ）が降（ふ）っても中止（ちゅうし）しません "We will not cancel even if it rains." 
 
OK, that's all for today.
Drones are playing a growing role in industries across the board. I think we're only beginning to see what's possible with this technology.
 
I agree. And let's hope this new service shows how they can be a vital tool for helping people living in remote or hard-to-reach areas.
 
Tune in next time for more!
 
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