Exploring the Web3.0 Expansion of Land and Air Transport Giants: JAL, ANA, and JR East.

Air and land transportation companies such as JAL, ANA, and JR East are also involved in blockchain and crypto asset-related businesses. The common denominator among these stocks is the poor performance caused by the Corona disaster, but demand is expected to recover markedly in 2023, and stock prices are beginning to regain momentum, although not to the level they were at before the Corona disaster.

Further expansion of demand is expected next year, and this will probably be reflected in share prices.

In addition, old media is said to be suffering from the emergence of Netflix, YouTube, and other platform providers with massive amounts of video content. While the TV industry is no exception, it continues to take on various challenges in the Web 3.0 domain in an attempt to find a way forward through new businesses.

Japan Airlines (9201)

Category : Air Transport

KOKYO NFT, an experiential NFT, to be Demonstrated

Can Japan Airlines, which has been losing money due to the Corona disaster, find potential in the Web 3.0 business and recover its lost ground?

Japan Airlines, which has been suffering from a significant decline in profits due to the Corona disaster over the past several years, is now recovering as the Corona disaster has passed and the number of passengers is returning both domestically and internationally. While international flights have been affected by the strong yen in foreign exchange markets and inflation in the US and Europe, domestic flights have recovered to pre-Corona levels.

JAL has also entered the Web 3.0 business as a new initiative. With the cooperation of Hakuhodo, JAL is conducting a verification experiment in Toba City, Mie Prefecture, and Amami City, Kagoshima Prefecture, starting in February 2023 to test “KOKYO NFT,” an experience-based NFT that converts local experience programs into NFT and turns domestic and international buyers into a local population.

According to JAL, this project is in anticipation of the arrival of the Web 3.0 era, and aims to “increase the number of people involved and create new communities while building a system that will enable visitors, especially inbound travelers, to maintain long-term relationships with the local community before and after their trip.

▶▶︎Future Outlook

The future outlook may brighten depending on the results of the Web 3.0 business, which the company has entered as a new initiative.

ANA Holdings (9202)

Category : Air Cargo Transportation

ANA GranWhale NFT MarketPlace” launched

ANA GranWhale, a metaverse space developed by ANA, a pioneer in Web 3.0 business in the airline industry, is attracting attention from within and outside the industry.

ANA, which was among the first in the airline industry to enter the Web 3.0 business, is developing a metaverse travel platform “SKY WHALE” for smartphones.

As such, ANA, an early entrant into the Web 3.0 business in the airline industry, has established its own NFT marketplace, ANA GranWhale NFT MarketPlace, the first of its kind in the world for an airline group. In order to compensate for the disadvantages of the airline business, which is greatly affected by external factors such as natural disasters and pandemics, which reduce passenger volume and revenue, ANA has started to build a meta-verse based on “travel”.

ANA GranWhale consists of three services: “Sky Park,” a travel theme park, “Sky Mall,” a virtual shopping space, and “Sky Village,” a future city. In addition, the company plans to develop services such as medical, educational, and administrative services on a virtual platform, which is also expected to attract a great deal of attention when it is realized.

▶▶︎Future Outlook

Depending on the future prospects of “ANA GranWhale,” which compensates for the disadvantages of the airline business, it may attract the attention of the industry.

JR East (9020)

Category: Land Transportation

Opening of the proprietary metaverse “Virtual AKIBA World (VAW)

Will JR East be able to build a new business model utilizing its various railroad assets?

Until the expansion of the new Corona, JR East was a high-performing company, consistently posting the highest profits by creating new businesses one after another, but its railroad revenues dropped sharply due to the Corona disaster.

JR East has therefore set the concept of “Transformation 2027” to further stabilize and strengthen its railroad service business by 2027, and to invest management resources in lifestyle services, IT, and Suica business, which have large potential for growth, to expand its business domain and improve profitability.

The company has also entered the Web 3.0 business, and in March 2022, it opened its own metaverse, “Virtual AKIBA World (VAW),” in partnership with HIKKY, a VR service provider.

JR East describes VAW as “a base for the creation of businesses that fuse real and virtual spaces,” and plans to develop it through collaboration with NTT DoCoMo, mutual development with real stations, and the provision of NFT content.

In October of the same year, it was announced that 3D animated station name markers at five stations, including Shinagawa, would be converted to NFT and sold through “LINE NFT”.

▶▶︎Future Outlook

Expectations for improved performance and medium-term growth potential as economic activity normalizes after the Corona disaster

●Nippon Television Holdings, Inc. (9404)

Category: Media

Next-Generation Music Programming “MUSIC VERSE” Launched

Aggressive entry into the Web 3.0 field, including entry into the event and metaverse fields of the non-television business, in the midst of a difficult TV industry

NTV Holdings, a major commercial broadcaster celebrating its 70th anniversary in August 2023, will reorganize its group in 2019, with more than 20 group companies in a wide range of industries including events and video distribution. BLOCKCHAIN SUMMIT” held in May 2023 as an official partner of Nittele Wands.

At the same event, the NFT art project “ZIELCHAIN” by artist Yoshitaka Amano was exhibited, and the NFT project “NFT IDOL HOUSE” based on the concept of idols was launched jointly with Platinum Pixel. In addition, the company is working to apply the knowledge it has cultivated in the TV industry to the Web 3.0 field.

In addition, the company is actively entering the Web 3.0 field by collaborating with ClaN Entertainment, a VTuber/metaverse company, to start broadcasting “MUSIC VERSE,” a next-generation music program recorded in a metaverse space, in April 2023.

▶▶︎Future Outlook

Despite the difficult situation, expectations are high for the NFT Project and the next-generation music program “MUSIC VERSE.

TV Asahi Holdings Corporation (9409)

Category：Media

WEB3 x Entertainment Creative Hackthon/Ideathon” Held

TV Asahi Holdings is focusing on the “Metaverse” field as a new business area utilizing its content.

TV Asahi Holdings has set forth a medium-term management plan, “TV Asahi 360°2020-2025,” and has identified the development of new revenue sources utilizing cutting-edge Internet technologies such as VR/AR, AI, and Web 3.0 as a priority area in its growth strategy.

In March 2023, the company held the “WEB3 x Entertainment Creative Hackthon/Ideathon” together with treavry, which ran the “Tokyo Web3 Hackathon,” and also with Psychic VR, which is developing business in the XR domain based on the “STYLY” real metaverse platform. In addition, the company signed a capital and business alliance agreement with Psychic VR Lab, which is developing a business in the XR domain centered on the real metaverse platform “STYLY”. The company will also promote collaboration in the field of augmented reality (AR), which provides new experiential value by superimposing XR layers on real space.

TV Asahi has been producing and broadcasting programs and developing IP with an awareness of the Metaverse, including programs such as “New World Metaverse TV! and TV Asahi's original metaverse space “Metaverse Roppongi of Light and Stars,” as well as creating the official metaverse idol “Metashippu”.

▶▶︎Future Outlook

While the TV industry is shrinking, the company's aggressive entry into the Web 3.0 field will continue its upward trend



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