dronetravel.guideBriefings checked 8 Oct 2026

Countries · East Asia · national

Japan

Visitors can fly in Japan, but every drone of 100 g or more including battery must be registered in DIPS for 1,450 JPY and fitted with Japan-conformant Remote ID, and DID, night, BVLOS, 150 m, airport and event flights need permission at least 10 government-office days ahead.

Open after a step for this profile · checked 7 October 2026

25 rules · 31 sources, 22 of them official · 17 fields unconfirmed · Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB), Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) · DIPS 2.0 (English)

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Your answer

Every engine field and the workflow rest on official pages.

What decides it

  • Outdoor unmanned aircraft of 100 g or more, airframe plus battery, must be registered before flight. An unregistered aircraft may not be flown. Registration has been mandatory since 20 June 2022.confirmed on the cited page
  • The current threshold is 100 g. The 200 g figure belongs to the pre-2022 regime, so any page still presenting 200 g as the current aviation-law threshold is stale.confirmed on the cited page
  • A registered aircraft must display its registration ID and be equipped with a Remote ID function. Marking height is 3 mm or more under 25 kg and 25 mm or more at 25 kg and above, durably and legibly applied.confirmed on the cited page
  • Remote ID information must be written into the equipment before flight using the JCAB DIPS App or the manufacturer's specified app.confirmed on the cited page
  • Category II exception by certification: permission or approval is not required for DID, night, BVLOS or sub-30 m flight where total weight is under 25 kg, entry-control measures are taken, and a pilot holding a 技能証明 flies an aircraft holding a 機体認証. These are Japan-only credentials and cannot be satisfied by a foreign licence, so the route is effectively closed to a visiting pilot.confirmed on the cited page
  • Tether exception: tethered flight on a cord of sufficient strength, 30 m or less, with measures controlling third-party entry to the reachable area, removes the permission or approval requirement for DID flight, night flight, BVLOS, flight within 30 m of a third party, and object dropping. It does not remove it for airport surroundings, emergency-use airspace, flight at 150 m or more, flight over an event, or hazardous materials. Towing the tether from a moving vehicle or by hand (えい航) does not count as tethering.confirmed on the cited page
  • A foreign registration is not a substitute for Japanese registration. Japanese pilot qualifications and aircraft certification likewise cannot be met by another country's credentials, because they are Japan's own systems.confirmed on the cited page
  • Aircraft registered during the advance window of 20 December 2021 to 19 June 2022 keep the Remote ID exemption through renewal. This is not a route for a newly imported visitor aircraft.confirmed on the cited page
  • A registration is valid for three years, and renewal runs through the same system and the same fee table. A registration that has lapsed and is later re-made receives a new registration ID; the previous one cannot be reused.confirmed on the cited page
  • An aircraft bought abroad must conform to Japan's domestic Remote ID technical standard to be flown in Japan. A Remote ID function built in for another country's scheme does not by itself satisfy it, so the operator must check conformity before relying on built-in Remote ID.confirmed on the cited page

Permits tied to a place or a time

These do not change the country's colour; they decide whether a particular flight is legal where and when you want it.

  • Flight at 150 m or more above ground or water is prohibited airspace requiring permission. Airspace within 30 m of an object is excluded from this prohibition, except around airports and in emergency-use airspace.
  • Flight in the airspace around airports and heliports requires permission. Approach, transition and horizontal surfaces are set within roughly 6 km of every airport and heliport; for Tokyo, Narita, Chubu and Kansai international airports plus the 政令空港 (Kushiro, Hakodate, Sendai, Osaka International, Matsuyama, Fukuoka, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Oita, Miyazaki, Kagoshima, Naha) extended surfaces reach 24 km. Permission is required even within 30 m of an object.
  • Flight above 人又は家屋の密集している地域 (densely inhabited districts, designated on the basis of the DID) is prohibited airspace requiring permission. Part of the DID has been excluded by public notice, so check the official MLIT page rather than a generic DID map.
  • Night flight is a regulated method requiring approval. Daytime is 日出から日没まで, sunrise to sunset.
  • Flight outside direct unaided visual range is a regulated method requiring approval. FPV and monitor-based flying are named examples.
  • Flight within 30 m of a third party, or of a third party's building or vehicle, is a regulated method requiring approval. The distance is measured to third parties, not to any person or property.
  • Flight above a gathering such as a festival or fair (祭礼、縁日など多数の人が集まる催し場所の上空) is a regulated method requiring approval.
  • Transporting hazardous materials such as explosives is a regulated method requiring approval.
  • Dropping objects from the aircraft is a regulated method requiring approval.
  • Apply at least 10 開庁日 (government-office days, excluding weekends and public holidays) before the planned first flight date. First-time applicants are told to allow extra time, because deficiencies in the application extend the review.
  • Category II never removes the permission requirement for airport surroundings, emergency-use airspace, flight at 150 m or more, flight over an event, hazardous materials or object dropping. MLIT's category decision flow chart routes all of those to 許可・承認申請が必要な飛行 regardless of certification.
  • FPV is itself an example of BVLOS flight. An observer does not convert it into compliant visual flight, so approval or the tether route is required. Night FPV is excluded even under MLIT's standard manual.

Before you fly, in order

  1. Outdoor unmanned aircraft of 100 g or more, airframe plus battery, must be registered before flight. An unregistered aircraft may not be flown. Registration has been mandatory since 20 June 2022.
  2. The current threshold is 100 g. The 200 g figure belongs to the pre-2022 regime, so any page still presenting 200 g as the current aviation-law threshold is stale.
  3. A foreign registration is not a substitute for Japanese registration. Japanese pilot qualifications and aircraft certification likewise cannot be met by another country's credentials, because they are Japan's own systems.
  4. A registration is valid for three years, and renewal runs through the same system and the same fee table. A registration that has lapsed and is later re-made receives a new registration ID; the previous one cannot be reused.
  5. A registered aircraft must display its registration ID and be equipped with a Remote ID function. Marking height is 3 mm or more under 25 kg and 25 mm or more at 25 kg and above, durably and legibly applied.
  6. Remote ID information must be written into the equipment before flight using the JCAB DIPS App or the manufacturer's specified app.
  7. Aircraft registered during the advance window of 20 December 2021 to 19 June 2022 keep the Remote ID exemption through renewal. This is not a route for a newly imported visitor aircraft.
  8. An aircraft bought abroad must conform to Japan's domestic Remote ID technical standard to be flown in Japan. A Remote ID function built in for another country's scheme does not by itself satisfy it, so the operator must check conformity before relying on built-in Remote ID.
  9. Apply at least 10 開庁日 (government-office days, excluding weekends and public holidays) before the planned first flight date. First-time applicants are told to allow extra time, because deficiencies in the application extend the review.
  10. Category II exception by certification: permission or approval is not required for DID, night, BVLOS or sub-30 m flight where total weight is under 25 kg, entry-control measures are taken, and a pilot holding a 技能証明 flies an aircraft holding a 機体認証. These are Japan-only credentials and cannot be satisfied by a foreign licence, so the route is effectively closed to a visiting pilot.
  11. Tether exception: tethered flight on a cord of sufficient strength, 30 m or less, with measures controlling third-party entry to the reachable area, removes the permission or approval requirement for DID flight, night flight, BVLOS, flight within 30 m of a third party, and object dropping. It does not remove it for airport surroundings, emergency-use airspace, flight at 150 m or more, flight over an event, or hazardous materials. Towing the tether from a moving vehicle or by hand (えい航) does not count as tethering.
  12. Category II never removes the permission requirement for airport surroundings, emergency-use airspace, flight at 150 m or more, flight over an event, hazardous materials or object dropping. MLIT's category decision flow chart routes all of those to 許可・承認申請が必要な飛行 regardless of certification.
  13. Flight at 150 m or more above ground or water is prohibited airspace requiring permission. Airspace within 30 m of an object is excluded from this prohibition, except around airports and in emergency-use airspace.
  14. Flight within 30 m of a third party, or of a third party's building or vehicle, is a regulated method requiring approval. The distance is measured to third parties, not to any person or property.
  15. Flight outside direct unaided visual range is a regulated method requiring approval. FPV and monitor-based flying are named examples.
  16. Night flight is a regulated method requiring approval. Daytime is 日出から日没まで, sunrise to sunset.
  17. Flight in the airspace around airports and heliports requires permission. Approach, transition and horizontal surfaces are set within roughly 6 km of every airport and heliport; for Tokyo, Narita, Chubu and Kansai international airports plus the 政令空港 (Kushiro, Hakodate, Sendai, Osaka International, Matsuyama, Fukuoka, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Oita, Miyazaki, Kagoshima, Naha) extended surfaces reach 24 km. Permission is required even within 30 m of an object.
  18. Flight above 人又は家屋の密集している地域 (densely inhabited districts, designated on the basis of the DID) is prohibited airspace requiring permission. Part of the DID has been excluded by public notice, so check the official MLIT page rather than a generic DID map.
  19. FPV is itself an example of BVLOS flight. An observer does not convert it into compliant visual flight, so approval or the tether route is required. Night FPV is excluded even under MLIT's standard manual.
  20. Spare lithium batteries in cabin baggage only: up to 100 Wh without approval, 100 to 160 Wh with airline approval and two spares, over 160 Wh not allowed (IATA passenger guidance; airlines may be stricter).

Spare lithium batteries in cabin baggage only: up to 100 Wh without approval, 100 to 160 Wh with airline approval and two spares, over 160 Wh not allowed (IATA passenger guidance; airlines may be stricter).

How a visitor gets legal

Each step as the authority describes it, with who may apply, what it costs and how long it takes.

  1. Step 1

    Weigh the aircraft and map the operation

    Confirm the aircraft's weight including battery against the 100 g line. Fix the take-off sites and flight path, and check each against the DID, airport and heliport surfaces (roughly 6 km, or 24 km at the major and 政令 airports), the 150 m ceiling, and emergency-use airspace on the day. Decide whether the method will be night, BVLOS or FPV, within 30 m of a third party, over an event, hazardous materials or object dropping.

    Visitors eligible · None stated · Before travel

    • Model
    • Weight including battery
    • Coordinates
    • Dates

    Open the official page

  2. Step 2

    Create a DIPS 2.0 account

    Create an account on DIPS 2.0. The system is usable from outside Japan.

    Visitors eligible · None stated

    • Owner information
    • User information
    • Aircraft information

    Open the official page

  3. Step 3

    Register each aircraft of 100 g or more

    Register each aircraft of 100 g or more before any outdoor flight. A foreign registration is not a substitute. As a foreigner without a residence in Japan, use the published identity route: a copy of the passport plus a copy of a document carrying name, address and date of birth issued by a foreign government Japan recognises or by a competent international organisation.

    Visitors eligible · 1,450 JPY for the first aircraft, 1,050 JPY for each additional aircraft applied for together (online, passport or licence identity) · Fee notice one to five working days after the application is completed

    • Passport copy
    • Document from a recognised foreign government or competent international organisation evidencing name, address and date of birth

    Open the official page

  4. Step 4

    Pay the fee and collect the registration ID

    Pay the fee by credit card (online applications only), internet banking or ATM, then wait for the registration ID. On the postal identity route the fee payment slip is mailed to the address on the identity document and verification completes only once it is received and paid.

    Visitors eligible · As the registration step · Registration ID one to five working days after payment

    • Payment reference

    Open the official page

  5. Step 5

    Mark the airframe and write the Remote ID

    Mark the registration ID on the airframe, 3 mm minimum character height under 25 kg, durable and legible against the background, and write the Remote ID information using the DIPS App or the manufacturer's app. Confirm Remote ID operates before flight where the equipment allows a standalone check.

    Visitors eligible · Equipment dependent; not established · Before flight

    • Registration ID
    • Remote ID equipment details

  6. Step 6

    Choose a route for a regulated operation

    If the operation is in a DID, at night, BVLOS or FPV, within 30 m of a third party, or involves object dropping, choose between three routes: apply for approval; use the tether route (cord 30 m or less plus third-party entry control), which removes the requirement for exactly those five; or the certification route, which a visitor cannot use. If the operation is near an airport, in emergency-use airspace, at 150 m or more, over an event, or carries hazardous materials, there is no exception route and you must apply.

    Visitors eligible · No amount established · At least 10 government-office days

    • Aircraft
    • Pilot
    • Route
    • Method
    • Safety measures

    Open the official page

  7. Step 7

    File the application to the right office

    File from the account used for aircraft registration. Route it to the Tokyo or Kansai Airport Office Director for airport surroundings, emergency-use airspace or 150 m or more, and to both where the airspace straddles them; otherwise to the Tokyo or Osaka Regional Civil Aviation Bureau Director with jurisdiction over the flight location. There is no DIPS system usage fee.

    Visitors eligible · No system usage fee; no statutory application fee established · At least 10 government-office days; deficiencies extend the review

    • Registered aircraft
    • Pilot information
    • Route
    • Dates
    • Safety procedures
    • Maps

    Open the official page

  8. Step 8

    Check the approval against what you intend to fly

    A permission or approval covers only the operation described in it, granted for a stated location, period, aircraft, pilot and method. After approval, check the approved dates, route, altitude, aircraft, pilot and conditions against what you intend to fly.

    Visitors eligible · None stated · Before take-off

    • Permission or approval document

  9. Step 9

    Notify the flight plan

    Notify the flight plan through DIPS in advance of any specified flight. No numeric deadline is published; the duty is simply 事前に, in advance. Failure is a criminal offence. You must also check other aircraft's flight plans and the prohibited airspace.

    Visitors eligible · None stated · In advance; no deadline published

    • Date
    • Time
    • Route
    • Aircraft and other particulars

    Open the official page

  10. Step 10

    Carry the paperwork and keep a flight log

    Carry the original or a copy of the permission or approval, electronic data accepted, keep the registration marking visible and Remote ID active, and record the flight in a 飛行日誌 (flight log).

    Visitors eligible · None stated · During operation

    • Permission or approval
    • Registration evidence
    • Flight log

    Open the official page

The numbers

The engine's inputs, each with the verdict our verification pass gave it and the sources it rests on.

FieldWhat the pages sayVerdictSources
May a visiting pilot fly at allYes, after a registration or a notification.No official source addresses tourists or visitors as a category. The statutory duties attach to the operator and the aircraft regardless of residence: registration of outdoor aircraft of 100 g or more, registration marking, Remote ID, and the airspace and method rules all apply.partly confirmedS2S5S6S9
EU or EEA registration recognisedNoEven UAs registered in a foreign country have to be registered based on the Civil Aeronautics Act if they are to be flown in Japan.confirmed on the cited pageS10
UK registration recognisedNoEven UAs registered in a foreign country have to be registered based on the Civil Aeronautics Act if they are to be flown in Japan.confirmed on the cited pageS10
US registration recognisedNoEven UAs registered in a foreign country have to be registered based on the Civil Aeronautics Act if they are to be flown in Japan.confirmed on the cited pageS10
Local registrationRequired from 100 g. Cost: 1,450 JPY for the first aircraft, 1,050 JPY per additional aircraft applied for at the same time (online application, identity verified with a passport or driver's licence). 900 JPY and 890 JPY need an Individual Number Card or gBizID, which a visitor does not have. Paper application 2,400 JPY and 2,000 JPY. Payable by credit card (online applications only), internet banking or ATM.. Time: Notification of the fee within one to five working days after the application is completed, registration ID within one to five working days after the fee is paid. Non-residents: Where the owner is a foreigner with no residence in Japan: a copy of the passport, plus a copy of a document carrying name, address and date of birth issued by a foreign government recognised by the Government of Japan or by a competent international organisation. The registration directive is stricter than the English handbook, which says only a public institution. That route completes by post: the fee payment slip is mailed to the address on the identity document and verification finishes when the owner receives it and pays. The alternative online route verifies a passport or driver's licence by face recognition and expressly refuses pre-taken photographs. Both cost 1,450 JPY for the first aircraft..The 100 g is airframe plus battery combined and excludes removable accessories other than the battery, so a sub-250 g travel drone is weighed with its battery but without propeller guards. The registration system is usable from outside Japan. No Japanese address and no Japanese telephone number appears in the directive's list of registration particulars, but the owner must supply a telephone number and e-mail address reachable at all times including during flight. A registration is valid for three years.confirmed on the cited pageS10S11S15S16S18S19
Remote IDA registered aircraft must display its registration ID and be fitted with a Remote ID function. The Remote ID information is written into the equipment before each flight using the JCAB DIPS App or the manufacturer's specified app. It transmits serial number, registration ID, position, speed, altitude and time at least once per second; owner and user information is not transmitted. An aircraft bought abroad must conform to Japan's domestic Remote ID technical standard.Four exemptions exist: aircraft registered in the advance window of 20 December 2021 to 19 June 2022; flight over a specific area notified to the Minister in advance with observers posted and the boundary marked; tethered flight on a cord of sufficient strength, 30 m or less; and confidential police or Japan Coast Guard operations. Only the tether route is open to an arriving visitor. An aircraft with no Remote ID function can be registered but may then be flown only in those cases.confirmed on the cited pageS2S6S9S15S18S19S20
InsuranceNot establishedNo official source mentions compulsory third-party insurance for recreational operation. The only trace is a third-party liability insurance entry on the superseded June 2022 DIPS 1.0 application guide, which is a form field and not a legal requirement.not confirmedS7
Altitude ceiling150 mFlight at 150 m or more above ground or water is prohibited airspace requiring permission. Airspace within 30 m of an object is excluded from the prohibition, except around airports and in emergency-use airspace, where permission is still required.confirmed on the cited pageS2S5S12
Distance from people30 m from third parties, or from a third party's building or vehicle. The operator's own people and own property are not counted.partly confirmedS5S15
Line of sightFlight must stay within direct unaided visual range, with the aircraft and its surroundings monitored at all times. Flight outside that range is a regulated method requiring approval.confirmed on the cited pageS5S12S15
NightDaytime is defined as sunrise to sunset. Flight outside daytime is a regulated method requiring approval.confirmed on the cited pageS5S12S15
Class marksNo official source applies the EASA C0 to C6 classes. The threshold is 100 g including battery, and Japan's own scheme is the three risk categories I, II and III plus aircraft certification (機体認証) and pilot skill certification (操縦者技能証明), which are expressly Japan-only.confirmed on the cited pageS5S15
FPVFPV is an explicit example of beyond-visual-line-of-sight flight, so it is a regulated method requiring approval or the tether route. An observer does not convert it into compliant visual flight, and monitor-based flying is in the same bracket. Night FPV is excluded outright in MLIT's standard manual.confirmed on the cited pageS5S13S15
Commercial useNo official page distinguishes recreational from commercial operation. The duties attach to the airspace and the flight method, not to purpose, so commercial use neither adds nor removes registration, Remote ID or approval duties.True by the absence of any purpose-based distinction, not by positive statement.partly confirmedS5S12

Every rule we could confirm

Grouped by what they govern. A general rule decides the country's colour for a profile; a situational one applies in a place, a zone or a season.

Registration

Remote ID

Permits

Airspace zones

Altitude

Distance from people

Line of sight

Night

FPV

Events and crowds

Dropping objects

Hazardous materials

Commercial use

Parks and protected areas

Who decides, what they decided, and whether there is a way in.

Where the no-fly zones are published

The authority's own map is the one that counts on the day; an app is a convenience, not a source.

Approach, transition and horizontal surfaces are set within roughly 6 km of every airport and heliport. For Tokyo, Narita, Chubu and Kansai international airports and the 政令空港, extended approach, conical and outer horizontal surfaces add a 24 km range. Where a site is inside or near a boundary, contact the airport manager.

Official map
www.mlit.go.jp
Apps named
DIPS 2.0, DIPS APP (Drone Portal App)

Customs and the border

Declaration
Not established
Import authorisation
Not established
Radio conformity
Not established

On the ground

What pilots, police and the press report actually happening. This is evidence about behaviour, not law: it never changes the status above, and it is dated and linked so you can judge it yourself.

Patchy enforcement5 confirmed cases · 2015-05 to 2025-10 · practice pass 7 October 2026

Thin evidence: five dated reports from 2015 to 2025, each one ending in the police referring a case to prosecutors at a palace garden, a city centre, an event or over a radio breach, and only one of them from the last three years. Nothing was found either way about rural flying, customs, or a fine actually paid.

How people fly
Reports place visitor flying in open rural areas outside the densely inhabited districts, with Hokkaido around Furano and Biei named most often. The documented enforcement is all in the opposite kind of place: a palace garden, city cores, temple and shrine grounds and a major event.
Police and rangers
Police do intervene and refer cases to prosecutors. Kyoto police referred a 24-year-old Canadian woman and were preparing cases against four Spanish nationals over flights at Kyoto Gyoen in 2017, Kanagawa police referred two men over an unregistered 899 g drone flown over Yokohama in 2022, Osaka police referred a broadcaster and three staff over an Expo opening-day flight in 2025, and a 2015 case was referred under the Radio Act for a 5.8 GHz video transmitter. Temple and shrine staff are reported to remove operators on the spot and may call the police. No report was found of a visitor being approached while flying in open countryside.
At the border
No usable report.
Fines actually reported
No fine, confiscation or arrest of a visiting recreational pilot was confirmed. All five confirmed reports end in a referral to prosecutors whose disposition is mostly unpublished, and the one case followed to the end, the 2025 Osaka Expo flight-plan case, closed with no prosecution on 7 October 2025. No drone was reported confiscated in any of the five.

The law's own penalty schedule is separate: Not established, 5 published fine ranges below.

Where reports cluster

  • Kyoto Gyoen (京都御苑), Kyoto

    Drones and radio-controlled helicopters may not be brought into or used in the garden, under the managing office's own prohibited-acts list. It is the one place where an official ban and a press-reported enforcement cluster against foreign visitors coincide: unauthorised flights rose from 1 to 10 in a year and 7 of the identified pilots were foreign.

  • Kyoto temples and shrines, and Tokyo Senso-ji

    Travel reports say an operator is removed at once and may be reported to the police. Fushimi Inari, Kinkaku-ji and Senso-ji are named. No case was located, so this rests on advice pages only.

  • Tokyo 23 wards, central Kyoto and central Osaka (densely inhabited districts)

    Secondary pages agree the city cores are no-fly by default without prior permission. The one documented referral inside a densely inhabited district is the 2016 Takamatsu case, where the pilot lost the aircraft and called the police himself.

  • Mount Fuji itself, against Lake Kawaguchiko and the surrounding viewpoints

    A travel blog treats the mountain itself as a sacred site where flying is out, while the surrounding spots such as Kawaguchiko and Yamanaka are used. No enforcement report was found for either. The 5 km prohibition figure that appears in the research report's citation list is not supported by any page in this set.

  • Hokkaido, around Furano and Biei

    Presented as the workable open rural area outside the densely inhabited districts. No enforcement report was found either way, so this is where the evidence is thinnest rather than where flying is established as accepted.

  • Large events, such as the Osaka-Kansai Expo

    Event airspace is watched, and the flight-plan notification duty was enforced on its own against a broadcaster with no crash and no complaint involved. A secondary account adds an officer on site spotting an Expo-related foreign national.

Dated reports

  • 2015-05 · Shonan, Kanagawa (Shonan International Marathon, flown November 2014) · press

    A Tokyo video production company and its president fitted a video transmitter using the 5.8 GHz band to a camera drone to film the marathon.

    Referred to prosecutors for a Radio Act (電波法) violation, reported as the first drone radio-law case nationwide. report

  • 2016-01 · Takamatsu, Kagawa (a park near a high school, inside a densely inhabited district) · press

    A local photo-shop owner flew inside a densely inhabited district, lost sight of the aircraft after five minutes and called the police; it was found crashed in a car park about 500 m away.

    Police moved to refer him under the Civil Aeronautics Act, reported as the first referral after the Act was amended. report

  • 2017-10 · Kyoto Gyoen (京都御苑), Kyoto · press

    Unauthorised flights in the garden rose from 1 the previous year to 10, and 7 of the pilots who could be identified were foreign.

    A 24-year-old Canadian woman was referred to prosecutors and four Spanish nationals were to be referred shortly. report

  • 2022-06 · Yokohama, Naka-ku, Shinko 2-chome (Minato Mirai area) · community

    One man lent an unregistered 899 g drone to another knowing he would fly it, and it was flown over the area without permission on 25 June at 16:40.

    Both men, aged 28 and 29, were referred to prosecutors. report

  • 2025-10 · Osaka, Osaka-Kansai Expo site (flown 13 April 2025) · press

    A broadcaster filmed an opening-day music event by drone without filing the required flight-plan notification.

    Referred to prosecutors on 26 September 2025 as a corporation plus three staff; all given non-prosecution dispositions on 7 October 2025. report

What the law says it costs

Published penalty ranges. What has actually been charged, where anyone reported it, is in the section above.

OffenceRangeSources
Flying an unmanned aircraft that is subject to registration without registering itFine of not more than 500,000 JPY, or imprisonment for not more than one yearS17
Conducting a specified flight without notifying the flight planFine of not more than 300,000 JPY, Civil Aeronautics Act Article 157-10S14
Failing to keep a flight log for a specified flight, omitting required entries, or making false entriesFine of not more than 100,000 JPY, Civil Aeronautics Act Article 157-11S14
Flying in prohibited airspace or by a regulated method without permission or approvalPenal provisions exist; the exact range was not retrievedS5
Inside a national park: serious nuisance to other park users, damage to wildlife from a fall or collision, or leaving a crashed aircraft unrecoveredPenalties under the Natural Parks Act and related law, plus orders for necessary measures such as restoration; no amount publishedS21

Criminal liability: Criminal liability attaches to the person conducting the flight: both published offences fall on the person carrying out the specified flight. MLIT states in English that a sentence or fine is imposed where an unmanned aircraft is flown without compliance.

What we could not confirm

Printed rather than hidden. A brief that answers everything has usually guessed somewhere, and a gap here is a real gap in the official pages or a page we could not reach.

Sources that disagree

  1. Radio Act and Giteki (技術基準適合証明) treatment of a foreign transmitter. No 総務省 page has been reached in either pass, and it stays the single most consequential unknown in this brief.
  2. Mandatory insurance and any minimum cover. No official source mentions compulsory third-party insurance; the only trace is a form field on the superseded 2022 DIPS 1.0 application guide.
  3. Customs declaration, import authorisation and lithium battery carriage (税関 Japan Customs, airlines). No customs source has been opened in either pass, so nothing is established either way.
  4. Confiscation. A query written specifically to find it returned no official page, so the negative holds across twenty-one official sources.
  5. The offence-by-offence fine schedule beyond the three amounts now established.
  6. The Small Unmanned Aircraft Flight Prohibition Act (小型無人機等飛行禁止法) and its penalties. No source in this set mentions that Act at all.
  7. Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka ordinance and municipal-park text. Each was asked for by name and returned no official page.
  8. Site-specific park and protected-area fees.
  9. Mt Fuji, Shirakawa-go, Hokkaido and Okinawa site rules.
  10. The geozone dataset's format, licence and update cadence. After two passes there is no evidence that Japan publishes a downloadable, licensed geozone dataset at all, so Japanese geodata must be treated as check the official page per flight, not as an ingestible layer.
  11. Any community report for the reality check. The source set contains twenty-one official pages and zero community sources.
  12. The exact effective dates of 2026 changes.
  13. Language requirements for the permission and approval application. English availability of a form does not prove that every attached document or local process is bilingual.
  14. Whether the DIPS 2.0 form field labels demand a Japanese address. The non-resident identity route is published, but the form fields themselves were not inspected in this pass.
  15. Any statutory application fee for the permission and approval procedure. There is no DIPS system usage fee, which is not the same thing.
  16. The cost of Remote ID equipment.
  17. A numeric deadline for flight-plan notification. The duty is in advance and no deadline is published.

What changed, and when

Dated changes to the rules, newest first.

  1. 29 September 2026

    The current edition of MLIT's safe-flight guidelines is issued, superseding the 26 January 2023 edition.

    S5

  2. 11 April 2025

    The English permission and approval application web pages launch.

    S12

  3. 2 December 2024

    MLIT's registration directive 無人航空機登録要領 is last amended (国空無機第66200号).

    S19

  4. 5 December 2022

    The national pilot qualification and aircraft certification systems come into operation. They are Japan's own systems, and flight under another country's qualifications or certification is not possible.

    S5

  5. 20 June 2022

    Registration of outdoor unmanned aircraft of 100 g or more becomes mandatory and unregistered aircraft may not be flown. The exclusion threshold moves from under 200 g to under 100 g.

    S8S15

  6. 20 December 2021

    Advance registration opens. Aircraft whose registration procedures are carried out between 20 December 2021 and 19 June 2022 keep the Remote ID exemption.

    S15S18

Checked 7 October 2026. Newer than that? Look here:

Rules move between our checks. The official pages publish the change; the community pages are where someone notices it first.

Official pages

Where pilots report

Sources

Every page this brief rests on, with the date we opened it and, where the page carries one, the date printed on the document itself.

  1. S1official

    無人航空機の飛行許可・承認手続

    MLIT / JCAB · document dated 2026-09-29 · opened 2026-10-07

    審査には一定の期間を要するため、飛行開始予定日の少なくとも10開庁日以上前（土日・祝日を除く）には申請書類を提出してください。

    Rule page. Also states which office receives the application: the Tokyo or Kansai Airport Office for airport surroundings, emergency-use airspace and 150 m or more, otherwise the Tokyo or Osaka Regional Civil Aviation Bureau.

  2. S2official

    Drone/UAS Information Platform System 2.0

    MLIT / JCAB · opened 2026-10-07

    UA of 100g or more is subject to the control of the Civil Aeronautics Act. No flights of unregistered UA are allowed.

    Rule page. The English portal enumerates the eight specified-flight categories.

  3. S3official

    無人航空機 飛行許可・承認申請ポータルサイト

    MLIT / JCAB · opened 2026-10-07

    航空法で規制されている空域や方法で無人航空機を飛行させたい場合、[...] あらかじめ国土交通大臣の許可・承認を受ける必要があります。

    Rule page.

  4. S4official

    飛行許可承認／事故等報告 よくある質問

    MLIT / JCAB · opened 2026-10-07

    飛行開始予定日の１０開庁日前（土日祝日等を除く。）までに申請してください。 / システム利用料は不要です。

    Rule page. The second sentence establishes that there is no DIPS system usage fee, which is not the same as a statutory application fee.

  5. S5official

    無人航空機（ドローン、ラジコン機等）の安全な飛行のためのガイドライン

    MLIT / JCAB 無人航空機安全課 · document dated 2026-09-29 · opened 2026-10-07

    許可承認不要：DIDにおける飛行、夜間飛行、目視外飛行、第三者から30m未満の飛行及び物件投下 / 許可承認必要：空港等周辺、緊急用務空域、150m以上上空の飛行、イベント上空での飛行及び危険物輸送

    Rule page, read as a PDF because it returns binary to a text fetcher. Current edition; it supersedes Part 2 of S15 for flight rules.

  6. S6official

    Portal Site of Unmanned Aircraft System

    MLIT / JCAB · opened 2026-10-07

    Registration of unmanned aircrafts weighing 100g or more are mandatory in Japan. Registered unmanned aircrafts must be marked with a registration ID and also fitted with a remote ID funtion.

    Rule page. Quoted verbatim, including the page's own spelling of funtion.

  7. S7official

    DIPS飛行許可承認申請の手引き 〜提出前にセルフチェックを行いましょう〜

    MLIT / JCAB, 東京/大阪航空局, 東京/関西空港事務所 · document dated 2022-06 · opened 2026-10-07

    〈直近の主な改正事項〉R4.6月 ⑤第三者賠償責任保険加入欄_「無制限」CK箇所追加

    Read as a PDF because it returns binary to a text fetcher. DIPS 1.0 era application guide, superseded by DIPS 2.0. Its third-party liability insurance entry is a form field and does not establish an insurance duty.

  8. S8official

    無人航空機登録ポータルサイト

    MLIT / JCAB · opened 2026-10-07

    2022年6月20日以降、無人航空機の登録が義務化され、登録されていない無人航空機を飛行させることはできません。

    Rule page.

  9. S9official

    無人航空機総合窓口サイト

    MLIT / JCAB · opened 2026-10-07

    屋外を飛行させる100g以上のすべての無人航空機（ドローン・ラジコン機）は、登録を申請し、機体に登録記号を表示し、リモートID機能を備えることが法律で義務づけられています。

    Rule page.

  10. S10official

    Frequently asked questions (DIPS-REG)

    MLIT / JCAB · opened 2026-10-07

    Can I use the DIPS-REG from other countries than Japan? Yes. Even UAs registered in a foreign country have to be registered based on the Civil Aeronautics Act if they are to be flown in Japan.

    Rule page. It lists only two of the four Remote ID exemptions, so it is not a complete statement of them.

  11. S11official

    ドローン情報基盤システム (DIPS)

    MLIT / JCAB · document dated 2026-06-22 · opened 2026-10-07

    重量が100g以上の無人航空機を飛行させる場合は事前の登録が必要です。

    Rule page.

  12. S12official

    Unmanned Aircraft Flight Permission/Approval Application Web

    MLIT / JCAB · document dated 2025-04-11 · opened 2026-10-07

    Please apply at least 10 working days before the scheduled start date of the flight.

    Rule page. The document date is the English launch date printed on the page.

  13. S13official

    無人航空機 飛行マニュアル（DID・夜間・目視外・30m）国土交通省航空局標準マニュアル②（インフラ点検）

    MLIT / JCAB · document dated 2025-12-26 · opened 2026-10-07

    夜間飛行においては、目視外飛行は実施せず、機体の向きを視認できる灯火が装備された機体を使用し、機体の灯火が容易に認識できる範囲内での飛行に限定する。

    Read as a PDF because it returns binary to a text fetcher. A standard flight manual template scope-limited to infrastructure inspection, not a general rules page; it must not be presented as general rules for a recreational visitor.

  14. S14official

    飛行計画の通報・飛行日誌の作成

    MLIT / JCAB · document dated 2026-08-03 · opened 2026-10-07

    飛行計画の通報をせずに特定飛行を行った場合、航空法第157条の10に従い、30万円以下の罰金が科せられます。

    Rule page. It also carries the 100,000 JPY flight-log penalty under Article 157-11.

  15. S15official

    航空法における無人航空機の飛行ルールについて（第1部 登録ハンドブック2021年版／第2部 ガイドライン）

    MLIT / JCAB · document dated 2023-01-26 · opened 2026-10-07

    航空法上の無人航空機に該当しないものを、従来の「重量が200g 未満のもの」から「重量が 100g 未満のもの」へ改めます。 / 所有者が本邦内に住居を所有しない外国人の場合 ・パスポートの写し及び公的機関が発行した氏名、住所、生年月日が確認できる書類の写し

    Read as a PDF because it returns binary to a text fetcher. Part 1 is the 2021 registration handbook; Part 2 is the 26 January 2023 guidelines, superseded by S5. Authoritative here only for the registration handbook material: fees, identity verification, Remote ID exemptions and marking sizes.

  16. S16official

    Flight Rules for Unmanned Aircraft (Drones and Model Aircraft)

    MLIT / JCAB · opened 2026-10-07

    It is mandatory to register your unmanned aircraft, which weighs 100g or more, under the Civil Aeronautics Act in Japan.

    English rule-summary page, not a statute. The page prints no date of its own; the only date on it is Revised March 24, 2025 against a linked DIPS 2.0 manual.

  17. S17official

    Unmanned Aircraft Registration WebPortal (English)

    MLIT / JCAB · document dated 2025-08-01 · opened 2026-10-07

    What happens when flying Unmanned Aircraft without registration? You are liable to a fine of up to 500,000 yen or imprisonment for up to one year under the Civil Aeronautics Act.

    Rule page with an FAQ block. The document date is an update line recording a help-desk number change. The penalty is stated for flying without registration specifically, not for registration-related violations generally.

  18. S18official

    Handbook for Unmanned Aircraft Registration (English)

    MLIT · document dated 2022 · opened 2026-10-07

    In case the owner is a foreigner who does not own a residence in Japan: ・A copy of the passport of the owner plus a copy of a document issued by a public institution that verifies the name [...]

    Read as a PDF because it returns binary to a text fetcher. The English twin of S15 Part 1. Cover reads 2022 Version, footer Copyright 2022 MLIT Japan, filename stamp 221202.

  19. S19official

    無人航空機登録要領

    MLIT 航空局長 (Director-General, Civil Aviation Bureau) · document dated 2024-12-02 · opened 2026-10-07

    所有者が本邦内に住居を有しない外国人の場合 … 旅券（パスポート）の写しに加え、日本国政府の承認した外国政府又は権限ある国際機関の発行した(i)(ii)に準ずるものの写し

    Read as a PDF because it returns binary to a text fetcher. An administrative directive, a rule document rather than a portal page, and the strongest registration source in this brief. Enacted 25 November 2021, last amended 2 December 2024 (国空無機第66200号).

  20. S20official

    よくある質問 (DIPS-REG, Japanese)

    MLIT / JCAB · opened 2026-10-07

    海外から購入した機体であっても、国内で飛行する場合は、国内のリモートID技術規格書に適合している必要があります。

    Rule page. The Japanese twin of S10, carrying rows S10 does not.

  21. S21official

    国立公園内でのドローン使用について

    環境省 関東地方環境事務所 (Kanto Regional Environment Office, Ministry of the Environment) · opened 2026-10-07

    国立公園の区域内でのドローン（無人航空機）の飛行や離着陸については、自然公園法における許可申請や届出が必要な行為ではありません

    Guidance page of a regional office, not a statute and not an individual permit decision. The page prints no date. It says nothing about prefectural, municipal or quasi-national parks.

  22. S22press

    急増する訪日客による「違法」ドローン飛行：国交省

    訪日ラボ (Honichi Lab) · document dated 2017-10-12 · opened 2026-10-07

    京都市内では訪日外国人観光客が無許可でドローンを飛行させ、度々問題になっています。 / 24歳のカナダ人女性を書類送検 / 4名のスペイン人も近く書類送検するということです。

    Practice source. English gloss: unauthorised drone flights by inbound foreign visitors are a recurring problem in Kyoto; a 24-year-old Canadian woman was referred to prosecutors; four Spanish nationals will also be referred shortly. The page also states that flights at Kyoto Gyoen rose from 1 the previous year to 10, with 7 of the identified pilots foreign.

  23. S23press

    香川県の人口集中地区でドローンを無断で飛ばした疑い、航空法改正後初の書類送検へ

    政治山, republishing DRONE BORG · document dated 2016-01-25 · opened 2026-10-07

    高松市松島町の高校近くの公園からドローンを飛行させ / 航空法違反の疑いで書類送検する方針

    Practice source. English gloss: he flew the drone from a park near a high school in Matsushima-cho, Takamatsu; police intend to refer him on suspicion of violating the Civil Aeronautics Act. The article is dated 25 January 2016 by DRONE BORG although the Seijiyama URL slug reads 20160128.

  24. S24press

    毎日放送と社員ら不起訴に　航空法違反容疑で書類送検

    時事通信 (Jiji Press) · document dated 2025-10-09 · opened 2026-10-07

    毎日放送（大阪市）は９日、大阪・関西万博開幕日のドローン使用を巡り、航空法違反容疑で書類送検された法人としての同社と社員ら３人について、いずれも不起訴処分になったと発表した。

    Practice source. English gloss: on the 9th, Mainichi Broadcasting System announced that the company as a corporation and three staff, referred to prosecutors on suspicion of violating the Civil Aeronautics Act over drone use on the Osaka-Kansai Expo opening day, were all given non-prosecution dispositions. The disposition is dated the 7th and the referral was made on 26 September 2025.

  25. S25secondary

    無登録ドローンを飛行、2人が書類送検になった事案を分かりやすく解説

    株式会社ドローンエンタープライズ · document dated 2022-08-22 · opened 2026-10-07

    送検容疑は6月19日、横浜市港北区の男性会社員（28）が、所有する無登録のドローン（約899グラム）を、友人である横須賀市の男性会社員（29）に飛行させると知りながら貸与。

    Practice source. A drone operator's blog reproducing the original press report verbatim; the original article could not be reached, so the report is one step removed from established press. English gloss: the referral alleges that on 19 June a 28-year-old office worker in Kohoku-ku, Yokohama lent his unregistered drone of about 899 g to a 29-year-old friend in Yokosuka knowing he would fly it. The flight was on 25 June at 16:40 over Shinko 2-chome, Naka-ku, Yokohama. The blog's own summary describes both men as Chinese nationals; the passage it quotes does not, so nationality is left out of the content.

  26. S26press

    ドローン空撮で「電波法違反」全国初の摘発

    弁護士ドットコムニュース · document dated 2015-05-27 · opened 2026-10-07

    5.8ギガヘルツ帯の電波を使用する映像伝送用の「無線装置」を取り付けた疑い / ドローンをめぐって「電波法違反」の疑いで摘発されたのは、全国初ということだ

    Practice source. English gloss: the suspicion is that a video-transmission radio device using the 5.8 GHz band was fitted; this is said to be the first drone case nationwide dealt with as a suspected Radio Act violation. The flight was at the Shonan International Marathon in Kanagawa in November 2014. This is a practice report only and does not establish any Radio Act or Giteki rule, which stays unknown in this brief.

  27. S27official

    禁止行為 (京都御苑)

    環境省 京都御苑 · opened 2026-10-07

    １．苑内への持込み・苑内での使用を禁止していること … ドローン・ラジコンヘリ

    Site rule page of the managing office, cited here for the Kyoto Gyoen hotspot, not as a national rule. English gloss: items prohibited from being brought into or used within the garden include drones and radio-controlled helicopters. The page prints no date.

  28. S28secondary

    小型無人機等飛行禁止法に要注意（2025年最新事例）

    行政書士・FPみらい法務事務所 · document dated 2025-11-08 · opened 2026-10-07

    万博の関係者である中国人がドローンを飛行させたところ、その場にいた警察官が発見し、違反として摘発された事例

    Practice source. English gloss: a case in which a Chinese national connected with the Expo flew a drone, an officer present spotted it, and it was dealt with as a violation. The page gives no date, place or outcome for this case, so it supports the police observation only and is not listed as an incident.

  29. S29secondary

    Drone Laws in Japan: Registration, No-Fly Zones and the Rules

    Asia Travel Rules · document dated 2026-09-27 · opened 2026-10-07

    Police and site staff around landmark temples, shrines and central Tokyo districts are used to visitors trying a quick illegal flight for a photo, and the usual outcome is a stop, a confiscated memory card

    Travel-advice page with no case, no date and no source behind the claim, so every claim taken from it is unverified. The document date is the page's own Updated line; the research report dated it 2026-09-04.

  30. S30secondary

    Drone Laws & Photography Permits in Japan: What Travelers Need to Know

    Japan Trove · opened 2026-10-07

    most visitors don't discover the details until their drone is confiscated at customs or a park ranger flags them down mid-flight / rolling lavender fields and patchwork hills around Furano & Biei

    Travel-advice page. The customs and ranger line is an unsourced assertion with no case behind it and must not be read as a report. The page itself prints no date, so documentDate is omitted; search metadata suggested 2026-09-29.

  31. S31community

    Utiliser son drone au Japon : règles et conseils de vol

    Les Paresseux Curieux · opened 2026-10-07

    Ne tentez même pas de sortir votre drone au Fushimi Inari, Kinkaku-ji, Senso-ji, ou n'importe quel site sacré. Vous vous ferez expulser immédiatement, voire signaler à la police.

    A travellers' blog, counted as a community report rather than press. English gloss: do not even try to take your drone out at Fushimi Inari, Kinkaku-ji, Senso-ji or any sacred site; you will be removed immediately, or even reported to the police. It also treats Mount Fuji itself as off limits while naming Kawaguchiko and Yamanaka as usable. The page prints no date, so documentDate is omitted; search metadata suggested 2026-01-30.