Plan
Drone rules: Japan
Last checked: October 5, 2026
Allowed with conditions
Flying is allowed, but with conditions you need to know before you travel.
Allowed, but every drone from 100 g must be registered via DIPS 2.0 before flying and broadcast Remote ID.
Required from 100 g, even if you are only in Japan temporarily. DIPS-REG verifies your identity e.g. via passport with facial recognition and additionally asks for proof of address. The number must be shown on the aircraft and broadcast via Remote ID.
Not legally required, but strongly recommended.
Depending on drone weight
- From 100 g· Registration: RequiredFrom 100 g registration via DIPS 2.0 and Remote ID.
For tourists
Over densely inhabited districts (practically all cities), at night and beyond visual line of sight you need a permit via DIPS 2.0 with around ten working days of lead time. Additional bans apply around the Imperial Palace, government buildings and airports.
Further rules
- Since June 2022, all unmanned aircraft weighing 100 grams or more in Japan must be registered via the online system DIPS2.0; registration is valid for three years, and the assigned number must be displayed visibly on the aircraft.
- Even if you only travel to Japan temporarily, you must register your drone. For identity verification DIPS-REG accepts, among other things, a passport with facial recognition, but then additionally requires proof of address. You also need a working Remote ID broadcast module unless the device already has one built in at the factory.
- Without permission you stay below 150 metres above ground or water. For flights above that, over densely inhabited districts (DID), near airports, at night, beyond visual line of sight or closer than 30 metres to people, buildings and vehicles, you need permission via DIPS2.0, which usually takes around ten working days to process.
- Even with registration: daytime only, within visual line of sight, at least 30 metres from people, buildings and vehicles, not over events, no dangerous goods and no dropping of objects – exceptions only with permission. Registration, the remote pilot certificate (class 1 or 2) and flight permission are three separate things.
- Liability insurance is not required by law in Japan, but authorities and industry associations strongly recommend it given the potential for damages running into the millions.
- Additional flight bans, some imposed at short notice, apply around sensitive areas such as the Imperial Palace, government buildings and airports, and in numerous districts of Tokyo, so checking the current maps before every flight is essential.
- Violations of registration or altitude rules can be punished with fines or prison sentences of up to one year.
Sources
This overview is not legal advice and not an official statement — laws change, and we cannot guarantee that every entry is fully up to date. Before your flight, please also check the official source or the local civil aviation authority.