On March 1, 2023, Yosuke Kaneko, SORA Technology’s Founder and CEO, spoke at the program “Game Changers – Japanese Innovation in Combatting Infectious Disease” co-hosted by the Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE), Friends of the Global Fund, Japan (FGFJ), and the Global Health Innovative Technology Fund (GHIT Fund).

Peter Sands, Executive Director, The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund), and Carmen Pérez CASAS, Senior Technical Manager, Strategy team, Unitaid, attended the program and introduced the challenges faced in combating infectious diseases in low- and middle-income countries, and the process by which developed products reach those in need.
In a panel discussion, Japanese business representatives and researchers spoke about the current status and potential of product development, and discussed ways to accelerate innovation originating from Japan.

Convergence of the three major infectious diseases, including malaria, is a goal set forth in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), but the global outbreak of COVID-19 has dealt a major blow to progress toward convergence.
What is important are new game-changing technologies, such as more effective ways to prevent outbreaks of infectious diseases and technologies that can strengthen the pharmaceutical supply chain.
SORA Technology will use drones and and other air mobility systems to solve pressing social issues in global health, such as malaria and other three major infectious diseases and last mile delivery.

【Speakers List】
Akio OKAWARA (President & CEO, JCIE ; Director, FGFJ)
Ichiro AISAWA (Member, House of Representatives (Liberal Democratic Party, LDP); CoChair, Diet Task Force, FGFJ)
Peter SANDS (Executive Director, The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria)
Satoko ITOH (Managing Director and Chief Program Officer, JCIE; Assistant Director,FGFJ)
Keichi HARA (Deputy Assistant Minister/Deputy Director-General for Global Issues, Minister’s Secretariat, International Cooperation Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA); Board Member of the Global Fund)
Carmen Pérez CASAS (Senior Technical Manager, Strategy team, Unitaid)
Osamu KUNII, MD, PhD, MPH (CEO and Executive Director, GHIT)
Seiya KATO, MD, PhD (Director, Research Institute of Tuberculosis, Japan Anti-Tuberculosis Association (JATA) )
Yoshihiro OKADA (General Manager, In Vitro Diagnostics Div. Medical Systems Business Division, FUJIFILM Corporation)
Masanori KAWASAKI (Global Project Leader of TB Project, Pharmaceutical Business Division, Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd)
Shigeyuki KANO, MD, PhD (Director, Department of Tropical Medicine and Malaria, Research Institute, National Center for Global Health and Medicine (NCGM); Member, FGFJ; Former member of TRP for Malaria, The Global Fund)
Yosuke KANEKO (CEO and Founder, SORA Technology)
Tetsuya ITANI (Director, Office of Global Health Cooperation, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare)

【About SORA Technology Co.,Ltd.】
SORA Technology creates new social infrastructures using drones and other air mobility systems with the mission of “Transform people’s way of life from ‘The Sky (SORA)’ ” (SORA=The sky, in Japanese).
With a global perspective, we aim for pioneering social implementation in emerging countries.
While contributing to solving urgent social issues such as malaria and other infectious diseases and last-mile delivery, we will conduct our business as a single package that also includes actions such as supporting the introduction of legislation, drone operation management systems (UTM), and drone licenses.
We also aim to realize “reverse innovation” to developed countries based on the operation and technology we have cultivated in emerging countries, to realize “A sustainable society resilient to disasters and epidemics by utilizing ‘The sky (SORA)’ ” and “Safe and integrated management of ‘The Sky (SORA)’ throughout the world”.