Gov't plans new rules for drone flights

My experience with drones is thay they take out our privacy. For example. Other day I was in a remote river having fun with my wife and I noticed a drone flying over me with a camera pointed at me. The other day I was in my backyard when a drone was over me.

Pls, make these rules comprehensive. We do not need to have a zillion gray guidelines, we need a few black and white, this is bad or this is ok, kind of rules. I have fun my quad copter but I have not used it since all the witch hunt started.

If they are planning for regulations, I hope getting license for drones will be equally easier for gaijins.

@kiyoshiMukai - paranoid maybe?

I have a drone that can fly itself and follow me and take video of me.. It's called an Iris from 3DR Robtics.. I don't have to manually fly it.. Just use its GPS.. They need guidelines in the rules for licenses..

I agree with Kiyoshi. These things can invade your privacy and be very scary too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGCJiS3mCak

FizzBit thanks for the link. Nothing in it that remotely concerns privacy violations but it is pretty cool!

I'd like to punch the guy who flew his quadcopter to Abe's building. He ruined it for everyone.

I agree with ShotenGuy! That was another demonstration that Japanese have no common sense: one extreme of stupidity, or the other. Total excesse or complete ignorance of limitations. And of course the government choose for total limitation. Yet, drones use should be regulated and limited... in places like Tokyo it may be dangerous. Are these tools insured? What is an heavy one crashes on you or your car bcause somebody had it fly beyond batteries? How do you trace the owner for making him responsible for payng the damage?

Bummer. It's always fun to check out people's homemade birds-eye-view videos on Youtube of cities and various interesting places, and I guess we won't be seeing many more filmed in Japan. Since so much of Japan's residential areas are mixed in pretty much everywhere throughout the city, this effectively bans the use of drones anytime in most places, except for the countryside. Always annoying when one dumb dude ruins it for everyone, and even more annoying when the government takes such a blanket approach, rather than a case-by-case one.

Anyone wishing to fly high-spec unmanned aircraft would be required to obtain a license.

"high-spec" is rather vague. Compared to 10 years ago, everything is high-spec. I wonder how this will be determined.

And, I am NOT surprised by the suggestion to require a license. Japanese LOOOOOVE setting up licenses and "kentei" for everything under the sun! Typing kentei, freakin' hula-dance kentei, license to do eyelash extensions. rolls eyes

The man that set a Drone on the roof top of Mr. Abe,s with radioactive matreal on it should be tried for atemted murder or assanation of th P.M.of Japan

Last month, police arrested a 15-year-old boy for suggesting online that he might fly a drone over a crowded festival in Tokyo after giving him several warnings for flying and attempting to fly a device near tourist spots.

The police have that sort of time? Arrested for suggestion? I didn't know you could be arrested for thinking!

Thanks to some thoughtless drone users, this law is about to be enforced. It can't be helped.

I wonder how you can acquire the licence.

well, these regulations were needed anyways as the use of drones is proliferating. i think drones can be useful but they can also be a nuisance and invade privacy, the latter being more important, i think. what happens when a stalker uses a drone to follow around his/her target?

I'm a little shocked at some of the responses here. With all the groping, and cell phone jerks taking pictures of women's privates, your average crazy voyeur or stalker, etc...how can you NOT think this won't be an invasion of privacy issue in one to two years as they get cheaper, smaller and more popular?

If I'm hanging out in private by a mountain stream with my wife and one of these flies up and stays for more than 4 seconds, it's gonna get some rocks thrown at it. Are homes and businesses (Onsens) going to have to install quadcopter jamming devices now?

And as for the protestor, since when did standing around the Diet chanting ever change anything? It was only a meter of time before this happened. Don't blame him.

Anyone wishing to fly high-spec unmanned aircraft would be required to obtain a license.

And this is just a waste of time. Responsible gun owners all over the world, yes, even Japan, need licenses. Those with deviant or criminal intent, don't bother. This will be the same with quadcopters.

P.S., I agree with a previous poster a few days ago, stop calling them drones.

For every problem is a solution "Permit Licence for Drones" easy and simple.

Fizzbit, shining a laser pointer at the drone could be more effective.

kiyoshiMukai Jun. 04, 2015 - 07:11AM JST

My experience with drones is thay they take out our privacy. For example. Other day I was in a remote river having fun with my wife and I noticed a drone flying over me with a camera pointed at me. The other day I was in my backyard when a drone was over me.

kiyoshiMukai Apr. 24, 2015 - 08:23AM JST

I hate drones. I was at the river kissing my girlfriend and over me was tat freaking drone.

Someone's got some 'splaining to do...

I don't own drone and might never try to fly one but all this is out of proportion! I think government is trying to secure its own shady businesses from get caught!

Drones are usually less than 700 grams and no injury (unlike giant kites and rolling trees on festivals) have been reported.

How about banning bicycles! They injure countless people every year, can be used to follow and breach privacy of individuals, you can mount cameras on them and on and on...