Law on drone assistants to be scrapped in favor of remote observation

A law requiring that a safety assistant be present during long-distance commercial drone operations will be scrapped, according to new rules announced Thursday by the transport and industry ministries.

Under the rule change planned for the end of the year, when flying a drone that moves beyond an operator’s line of sight, a safety assistant will no longer be required to keep the aircraft in view if flight safety can be fully ensured remotely through devices such as cameras and sensors.

The government is seeking to make it easier for companies to use drones to deliver packages to difficult-to-reach places, with the aim of making them able to fully service mountainous areas by the end of the year.

The new rules also say that, regardless of whether an operator is accompanied by an assistant, a drone that is out of sight must have a long safety record and stay below an altitude of 150 meters.

LATEST NATIONAL STORIES

Abe declare candidacy in LDP presidential race on Sunday as prime minister looks to secure third ...

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe plans to announce his candidacy Sunday for the Liberal Democratic Party leadership contest next month as he looks to secure a third consecutive term as LDP chief, a senior...

Powerful typhoon set to batter western Japan later this week as another storm skirts Kyushu

A strong typhoon approaching western Japan could make landfall sometime between Thursday afternoon and Friday in an area that was already left battered by massive flooding and landslides last month...

Editor-in-chief of Yomiuri Shimbun recovering from broken neck

Tsuneo Watanabe, editor-in-chief of the Yomiuri Shimbun, fell down at home and broke part of his cervical spine in mid-August, the newspaper's owner said Tuesday. Watanabe, 92, has been hospital...