MLIT adds guidance on re-acquiring an expired remote pilot certificate

MLIT's remote pilot certificate page (MLIT/JCAB) now has a new section, 技能証明失効後の再取得手続き (re-acquisition after a certificate has lapsed), linking its guidance on the return-certificate course. Under that guidance, a person whose certificate lapsed because it was not renewed, and whose most recent certificate expired less than three years ago, can return the certificate, take the return-certificate course and re-acquire it with the written and practical exams waived; certificates that lapsed through revocation are excluded. The medical-examination form text on the page (the separate sheet of the medical certificate form) was already there in the 31 August 2026 version and is not a new change. Coverage added by Drone Assistant, not new on the page: the written examination follows the 5th edition of MLIT's Safety Rules for the Flight of Unmanned Aircraft from 14 July 2026. This is procedural guidance from MLIT, not a new law, and binding rules are unchanged by this update.