The Drone Act
Drone flights are restricted by two laws: the Drone Act and the Aviation Act.
All drones, etc., including those less than 100g, are within the scope of the Drone Act.
Drones that weigh 100g or more are within the scope of the Aviation Act.
Contents(目次)
・ What is the Drone Act?
・ Exceptions
・ Necessary Procedures
・ Countermeasures and Penalties
・ Links
What is the Drone Act?(規制の概要)
Under the Drone Act, flying drones, etc. over and around certain key facilities is prohibited.
Flights subject to the Drone Act
(規制の対象となる小型無人機等の飛行)
(ⅰ) Flying an unmanned aircraft system (UAS) of any weight such as
・an unmanned glider, a drone
(ⅱ) Flying in a specific aircraft such as
・a hang glider
・a paraglider
Flight restriction zones(飛行禁止場所)
(ⅰ) Red zone(レッド・ゾーン)
Over the site of a facility covered by the Drone Act
(ⅱ) Yellow zone(イエロー・ゾーン)
Within approximately 300 meters of a red zone
Facilities covered by the Drone Act(対象施設)
Types of facilities covered by the Drone Act
(ⅰ) Key national facilities, etc.
(ⅱ) Foreign diplomatic establishments, etc.*
(ⅳ) Nuclear sites*
*These facilities are covered by the Drone Act upon designation by relevant authorities pursuant to the Act.
Flight restriction zone map of central Tokyo

Magnified view of the map
Exceptions(飛行禁止の例外)
The ban on flights by the Drone Act does not apply if one of the following conditions is met:・When obtaining consent from a landowner, etc., written consent is necessary.
[Attention]
Over the sites of defense-related facilities covered by the Drone Act, flights are more strictly restricted:
Flights in a red zone require consent from the administrator.
(Even the landowner may not fly drones, etc. over the land without consent from the administrator.)
For more details, see below.
Necessary Procedures(必要な通報手続)
Some facilities require additional procedures.
For more details, see below. (NPA HP)
● 小型無人機等飛行禁止法に基づく通報手続の概要 (Japanese page)
Countermeasures and Penalties
(違反に対する措置・罰則)
Countermeasures
In case of an emergency, police officers may block the flight or destroy the aircraft.