The government plans to establish a licensing system for operating drones when the flights are beyond the operator's line of sight, government sources said Monday.
The proposal comes as the government hopes for increased usage of unmanned vehicles for purposes such as delivering daily necessities and medicine, or assisting security patrols in areas with an aging population, the sources said.
The license, which the government hopes will be introduced in fiscal 2022, will be age-restricted, and will require operators to pass both a written and practical examination.
The licenses will be only valid for a certain period of time and will have to be renewed. Illegal drone use will lead to the cancellation or suspension of a license.
A public-private panel discussing how to facilitate the use of drones will propose the license system in a report to be complied Tuesday, the sources said.
The government plans to finalize the details and submit a bill to revise the civil aeronautics law to the Diet next year, they said.