TOKYO, Dec 6 (NNN-NHK) – Japan yesterday, lifted a ban on urban drone flights, outside visible range over residential areas, local media reported.
The removal of the ban is expected to facilitate the commercialisation of services using drones, such as aerial parcel deliveries and help address the country’s labour shortages, amid the greying of the population across the country, particularly in rural areas, according to Kyodo News.
Such drone flights will be permitted, if Japan’s transport ministry gives approval in advance, which are likely to begin next March, or later as it takes time to certify drones and qualify pilots.
Unattended drone flights were previously only allowed over uninhabited areas, such as mountains, rivers and farmlands, in so-called level-three operations, under the four-tier classification system.
This time, the Japanese government removed the ban on level-four drone flights, in which the pilot operates an unmanned aerial vehicle over residential areas without a direct line of sight.– NNN-NHK
