Alliances & Technology Transfer

Major travel agency JTB Corp. and Kyoto-based taxi firm MK Co. have teamed up to offer “Kyo no Robo Tabi Taxi,” a tour of renowned Kyoto sightseeing spots that features Robohon, a robot-shaped mobile phone from Sharp Corp.

Yamato Holdings Co. has reached a basic agreement with a major U.S. helicopter manufacturer to develop an unmanned “flying truck” capable of transporting goods via air, Yamato announced Friday. It aims to start commercial use of the vehicles by the mid-2020s.

Two titans of Japanese industry, Toyota Motor Corp. and SoftBank Group Corp. said Thursday they are setting up a new joint venture to develop autonomous driving technologies and other on-demand services, including food deliveries, medical care and office space.

Sharp Corp. has completed its acquisition of Toshiba Corp.’s personal computer business, marking a return to the PC business after pulling out eight years ago.