2019 Volume 44 Issue 2 Pages 108-116
This paper surveys laws and regulations in Japan pertaining to drones, i.e., unmanned aircraft. Unmanned aircraft exist in a variety of types, such as fixed-wing, helicopter, and multicopter with multiple rotors. However, the Civil Aeronautics Act, amended in 2015, and its enforcement regulations have explicitly stipulated the condition that drones cannot be flown without obtaining permission. Generally speaking, any craft with a takeoff weight of 200g or more is subject to regulation as an unmanned aircraft. Needless to say, compliance with laws and regulations other than the Civil Aeronautics Act is also required. There are many regulations on drones, in areas such as flight requirements, functions which airframes should have, and performance standards, but drones have also been called an "industrial revolution of the sky." There are high expectations for utilization in the future, and public/private discussions to advance that goal have begun.