Photo/Illutration A model of a flying car displayed by SkyDrive Inc. at the International Paris Air Show in June 2019 (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

In “Blade Runner,” a 1982 U.S. science fiction film, flying cars hover and glide around skyscrapers, like carefree birds.

I was quite surprised to learn that this movie is set in a “future Los Angeles” of 2019.

“Unfortunately, our real world is lagging behind its sci-fi counterpart,” said 47-year-old Takeo Kushibiki of TE Japan, an electronics parts maker based in Kawasaki. “However, flying cars aren’t just a figment of the imagination anymore.”

An investor in a flying car development project in the United States, Kushibiki is scheduled to compete in an international race in February.

SkyDrive Inc., a company started by young engineers who previously worked for Toyota Motor Corp., has just announced it will start selling flying cars three years from now. The vehicle they envision “makes it possible to commute from Kamakura (in Kanagawa Prefecture) to Roppongi (in central Tokyo) in 30 minutes.”

I visited the company’s development headquarters in the city of Toyota, Aichi Prefecture. The workshop, which used to be a fire station garage, was crammed with testing devices and instruments of all sorts, as well as prototype components.

“I am absolutely certain that 40 years from now, flying cars will be the primary mode of transportation,” asserted SkyDrive President Tomohiro Fukuzawa, 32. “Sometime down the road, cars that travel on the ground will become a rarity.”

Fukuzawa predicts that flying cars will be indispensable for medical emergency and disaster relief responses by the end of this decade. In the meantime, there will be tough hurdles to clear in terms of technology, safety and the establishment of pertinent laws.

But straddling a prototype, the first thing I imagined was a smooth, speedy and comfortable commute to work through the air. And there will be no getting stuck in traffic snarls when taking holiday road trips, either. Just thinking about these things made me happy.

The year 2020 has begun. Japan experienced a spate of natural disasters and fires last year, and the incredible news of former Nissan Motor Co. chief Carlos Ghosn’s “escape” from Japan that broke on New Year’s Eve.

I pray that this year will give us a clear view of what lies ahead, like when flying freely in the sky.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Jan. 1

* * *

Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.