Japan

Friends don’t let friends fly a drone while drunk. You know it, we know it. But it appears this 56-year-old man in Japan’s Aichi Prefecture doesn’t know it. For he thought it would be OK to take a long-forgotten drone out for a spin after guzzling eight 350 ml cans of beer.

Chinese autonomous aerial vehicle (AAV) company EHang says it has completed its first pilotless trial flight in Japan, where it hopes to begin passenger service by 2023.

Japan is ramping up its promotion of Urban Air Mobility (UAM), announcing new government initiatives in the development and deployment of a wide array of small craft across the nation’s cities.

The Japanese Defense Ministry is reportedly beginning research into the use of vehicle-mounted counter-drone lasers to fend off rogue drones. The news comes from sources close to the Japanese government, with an expected arrival date no earlier than 2024.

Japan is looking to expand its drone regulations to drones weighing 100 grams and above, a 100-gram decrease from the current regulations. The Japanese government has chosen to make the change due to the massive increase of drones in the sky and reckless pilots.

Japan Airlines (JAL) has turned to delivery drones to transport emergency supplies to a hard-to-reach city in a mountainous area of western Japan. The flight which took place on Wednesday is a test for future permanent drone deliveries in the region.

Holy Toledo, Batman! Just take a look at the amazing new drone from Kawasaki!

According to Reuters Japanese government officials, Japan is looking to stop purchasing Chinese-made drones and parts to improve national security. The news comes as the US continues its fight against Chinese drones being used within government agencies.

Delivery drone company Matternet is expanding its Asia operations with its latest partnership with Japan Airlines to bring drone delivery to Tokyo, Japan. The partnership will see Matternet’s M2 drone system deployed as a part of Japan’s drone logistics project.

Drone footage has captured the aftermath of recent heavy rains in Japan that have caused landslides and flooding throughout Ashikita, a city in the Kumamoto prefecture. The flooding has reportedly taken the lives of 58 so far.

Japanese mobile service provider Rakuten Mobile has announced it will begin to use drones for inspections to replace the need for humans to manually check its base station. The drones will take various photos of each mask for later inspection by the team.

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Japan is reportedly planning to bring in a licensing system for beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flights in preparation for an increase in drones flying in the skies above delivering goods and assisting government agencies in day-to-day tasks.

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Drones demonstrated their usefulness during a recent Tokyo Metro Co. demonstration, showing reporters how it’s utilizing drones to improve tunnel safety. The inspection drones were flown at the Koto Ward facility in Tokyo and have been using drones since the 6th of February to inspect tunnels.

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New legislation in Japan could land you in jail for up to one year, if you’re convicted of flying a drone while drunk. The new law that was passed by the country’s parliament last week aims to curb the growing use (or misuse) of drones. Pilots convicted of drunk drone flying can also face a fine of up to ¥300,000 which is about $2,763 USD.

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Commercial drone use is set to take off in Japan with deregulation. The Japanese government had revised the aviation rules last September to promote the use of drones for commercial applications. Back in November last year we wrote about the Japan Post Co. that had started transporting documents by drone in Fukushima, Japan. Now, during the Japan Drone 2019 event, there is more news about commercial drone applications coming from the far east.

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Last Wednesday the Japan Post Co. started transporting documents by drone in Fukushima, Japan. it was a first in the history of the country, following an easing of regulations to deal with labor shortages in the transportation industry. The drone document delivery service will run six days a month and will complete two round trips on those selected days. The intention is to expand the service to rural areas and islands in the future.

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In our previous post, we mentioned how people always find new ways to use drones. Well, what do you think about this latest example from the Japanese company, Asahi Power Services? They have invented an umbrella that can be held in place by a drone. It is called the Free Parasol.

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We first wrote about Yamaha and their agricultural or industrial drones when they were at CES2018 displaying the YMR-01. Today we learn that Yamaha will begin with limited sales of their industrial multi-rotor drone the YMR-08 aimed at agricultural use starting in June of this year in Japan.

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The “Go home”, “T-Frend” drone flies along office buildings late at night in Tokyo, Japan, blasting “Auld Lang Syne”, a Scottish tune typically played in a store right before closing. The drone is the government latest effort to reduce the notoriously long working hours that Japanese workers put in.

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A candy-carrying drone fell out of the sky in Ogaki, Gifu Prefecture, Japan last Saturday, injuring six people, including children. The unmanned aerial vehicle was distributing candy over a crowd at an event, when it suddenly crashed to the ground, as reported by The Japan Times.

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Ever wanted to go drone racing in Tokyo Japan? Well starting Saturday, October 21 you can in the 535 m² “DJI Arena By JDRONE Tokyo” Arena. The drone space does not only feature a flying-area but also a retail store and will offer technical support. The Tokyo DJI Arena will be managed and operated by Authorized Dealer Japan Circuit in partnership with DJI Japan. 
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