The transport ministry will set up radar equipment at Tokyo's Haneda airport from April to track flocks of birds in an effort to keep aircraft out of their way.
The move, the first such project in Japan, comes as bird strikes are on the rise at the nation's busiest airport, despite daily efforts by ground staff to disperse birds when they are spotted near flight paths.
The new system, using two horizontal and four vertical radars, can pinpoint birds up to 300 meters aloft and show their movements on screens.