Japan Wants to Be the First Place Where Flying Cars Are Standard Because of Course

And it has a dream team of companies ready to help it.

LOOKING AHEAD. The Japanese government sees flying cars as the panacea to some of the nation's traffic issues — the vehicles will decrease congestion, boost tourism, and increase access to remote areas.

So, naturally, the nation wants to be the world leader in the developing the vehicles. Now it has a dream team of companies on board to help it reach its goal, according to a statement released by the trade ministry in Tokyo on Friday.

TEAM FLYING CARS. Twenty-one companies and organizations have joined a Japanese government-led group designed to lay out the roadmap to flying car adoption in Japan.

Amongst those are some of the biggest players in the space, including Uber, Boeing, and Airbus. Delegates from each group member will meet on August 29 to figure out a plan that will get flying cars to Japan in the next decade.

A GOVERNMENT LEADER. While not everyone(see: Elon Musk) is on board with the idea of flying cars, if the futuristic transportation is ever going to take off, it'll likely need a government leading the charge, and Japan appears ready to step up on that front.

“It’s necessary for the government to take a lead and coordinate on setting safety standards,” Yasuo Hashimoto, a researcher at Tokyo-based Japan Aviation Management Research, told Bloomberg. “They are trying to set a tone for the industry ahead of other countries.”

We'll see if Japan is able to meet its ambitious goal of serving as the world leader in flying cars. But it certainly won't fail because it lacks the right partners in its corner.

READ MORE: Uber and Airbus Enlist in Japan’s Flying-Car Plan [Bloomberg]

More on flying cars: Elon Musk: Flying Cars Are Definitely Not the Future of Transport