Flying a drone near airports in Japan

What the rules say

Each line is resolved from published facts of Japan. "Not resolved" means the corpus does not answer it in a machine-checkable way — never that the law is silent.

• Aerodrome permissionConditional
• Controlled airspace permissionConditional
• Protected facilitiesNo
• Digital authorisationYes
• Altitude relationshipNo
• ExceptionsNo

The rules behind this answer

• Binding lawNational rule

  Attachment of Photographs of the Unmanned Aircraft to Notification

  When submitting notification documents to the target airport administrator pursuant to the provisions of the preceding two articles, a photograph of the equipment (Small Unmanned Aircraft, etc. (小型無人機等)) to be flown must be attached.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Enforcement Measures and Disruption of Non-Compliant Flights

  Authorized officers (including police, coast guard, SDF, and airport administrators) may take necessary measures, including interfering with the flight or damaging the small unmanned aircraft, if an operator fails to comply with an order to vacate, cannot be reached, or if there is no time to issue an order.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Exemptions to the flight prohibition over target facility surrounding areas

  The prohibition on flying small unmanned aircraft over target facility surrounding areas does not apply to flights conducted by the facility administrator (or with their consent), by land owners/occupants (or with their consent) over their land, or for national/local government duties, subject to specific limitations for certain facilities.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Flight Restrictions for Model Aircraft (under 100g) in Specified Airspaces

  No person shall fly a model aircraft (模型航空機) (which excludes unmanned aircraft (無人航空機) and includes drones weighing less than 100 grams) in specified airspaces—including airport approach/transition/horizontal surfaces, emergency operational airspace (緊急用務空域), and airspace at or above 150 meters—without permission from the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  MLIT Permission Requirement for Restricted Airspace and Category III Flights

  No person shall fly an unmanned aircraft in airspaces affecting aviation safety, or in densely populated areas without entry control measures (or with a drone exceeding the MLIT-prescribed weight threshold even with entry control measures), unless they meet the pilot and aircraft certification requirements and obtain permission from the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Notification Deadline and Method for Public Service Operators

  A public service operator (公務操縦者) who intends to fly a small unmanned aircraft, etc. in the surrounding area of a target airport must submit the required notification documents to the target airport administrator at least 48 hours prior to the scheduled flight start time.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Notification to Target Airport Administrator by Administrator or Land Owner/Occupier

  A pilot who is the target airport administrator or the owner/occupier of the land must submit a notification using Form No. 3 to the target airport administrator at least 48 hours before commencing the flight of a small unmanned aircraft, containing specified details including the flight date/time, purpose, area, pilot information, aircraft characteristics, and registration mark.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Notification to Target Airport Administrator by General Pilots

  A pilot other than the target airport administrator or land owner/occupier must obtain the consent of the target airport administrator or land owner/occupier before notifying, and must submit the notification form at least 48 hours prior to the flight, including the consenting party's contact details and a copy of the document proving their consent.

  Open the requirementOfficial source

Official sources

• 国土交通省関係重要施設の周辺地域の上空における小型無人機等の飛行の禁止に関する法律施行規則（平成二十八年国土交通省令第四十一号） — Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism — Civil Aviation BureauOpen
• 重要施設の周辺地域の上空における小型無人機等の飛行の禁止に関する法律（平成二十八年法律第九号）— Drone Act — Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism — Civil Aviation BureauOpen
• 航空法施行規則（昭和二十七年運輸省令第五十六号）— Civil Aeronautics Act Enforcement Regulations, Chapter XI — Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism — Civil Aviation BureauOpen
• 航空法（昭和二十七年法律第二百三十一号）— Civil Aeronautics Act, Chapter XI Unmanned Aircraft — Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism — Civil Aviation BureauOpen

Known limitations

• Binding law and official guidance disagree on airport_airspace.altitude_relationship; the binding position is published.
• Binding law and official guidance disagree on airport_airspace.exceptions; the binding position is published.
• 1 dimension(s) of this topic are not expressed in a machine-resolvable way by the published corpus and are reported UNKNOWN, never FALSE.

Other drone rules in Japan

• Do I need to register my drone in Japan?Registration in Japan depends on the aircraft and the operation: it applies once the published conditions below are met, each cited to the rule that sets it.
• Do I need Remote ID in Japan?Remote identification in Japan is tied to the aircraft and the operating category: the published triggers below decide whether a flight must carry or broadcast an electronic identity.
• Can I fly a drone at night in Japan?Night flying in Japan is regulated rather than simply allowed or banned: published lighting, category and authorisation conditions below decide whether a given flight may take place after dark.
• Is BVLOS drone flight allowed in Japan?BVLOS in Japan runs through a defined authorisation pathway rather than an open permission: the published conditions below set out what that pathway requires.
• When does a drone operation need authorisation in Japan?Whether an operation in Japan needs prior authorisation depends on the operational category, risk class or location: the published triggers below decide it.
• What training do I need to fly a drone in Japan?Remote pilot competency in Japan scales with the operation: which training, examination or proof of competency applies is set by the published conditions below.
• Do I need drone insurance in Japan?Whether drone insurance is required in Japan depends on the aircraft and the operation, as published in the conditions below.

All drone laws in Japan