Applications and possibilities of unmanned aerial vehicles in Japan are expected to expand further as“Beyond Visual Line of Sight, Populated Areas” (Level 4) is expected to become a reality in 2022. The development of unmanned aerial vehicles will require rulemaking that balances appropriate safety management with the promotion of innovation while considering compatibility with existing safety standards for manned aircraft. In this discussion, we can refer to the frameworks of other countries that are ahead of us. The U.S. was the first to have such an operating environment, and in Europe, a framework to integrate rules for unmanned aerial vehicles has been decided in 2019, mainly by EU member states. Noteworthy are the three categories of risk-based approaches with corresponding safety certification standards, appropriate training for pilots, and registration of operators and aircraft. In this paper, we first summarize the European Aviation Safety Agencyʼs (EASA) approach to aircraft risk and its certification criteria. This paper discusses Japanʼs approach to the regulation of unmanned aircraft based on these European developments. To implement unmanned aerial vehicles in society in Japan, international harmonization of safety regulations, as well as the importance of public-private partnerships for this purpose, will become even more essential.

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