Drone Laws in Japan

What are the laws regarding Drones / UAV / Quadcopters in Japan?

Drones laws in Japan are governed by the amendment to the Aviation Act that came into effect 10 December 2015.

Prohibited areas of operation

Near airports or areas where air traffic is expected.
Densely populated residential areas.
Over a place where an event attended by many people is being held.
In all of Metropolitan Tokyo’s 81 public parks and gardens.
Other prefectures that have passed similar legislation to Tokyo.

Guidelines

Fly only in the daytime.
Operation within Visual Line of Sight (VLOS).
Maintenance of 30m operating distance between the drone and people or properties on the ground/ water surface.
Do not operate drones over event sites where many people gather.
Do not transport hazardous materials such as explosives by drone.
Do not drop any objects from the drone.

Penalty For Breaking The Law

Flying a UAV over a prohibited area or violating the conditions of flight is punishable by a fine of up to

Yen

Altitude of Operation

Feet

Metres

Source: Civil Aviation Bureau

Updated November 2017

From My Personal Experience

I carried my drone (DJI Phantom 3 Professional) to Tokyo, Kyoto, Hakone, Hiroshima but I only flew it over the Katsura River in Arashiyama and Lake Ashi in Hakone. Most of the temples, monuments have no drones allowed signs hanging at their entrances. Not only that, some cities (such as Hiroshima) do not allow drone flights.

Japan’s been slightly paranoid about drones ever since someone flew a drone carrying radioactive sand over the Prime Minister’s office in Tokyo. Since then the laws have gotten stricter and the punishment more severe.

In fact Tokyo Police possesses drone catchers in case you don’t listen to their warnings. So yes, be sure to always adhere to drone laws in Japan.

My Advice

As drone flights are strictly regulated in most cities, go towards the outskirts. Or find a secluded area with few people, or preferably near a water body (river, lakes, sea).

I think this graphic from the Civil Aviation Bureau of Japan perfectly highlights the dos and don’ts of flying drones in Japan.