Japan's national police plan to use anti drone jammers in April to prevent terrorist attacks and flying vehicle accidents at several major events across the country.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department was the first to take the necessary steps to obtain approval from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications for the use of these devices.
In areas where unknown aircraft are not allowed to fly, the signal jammers blocks radio signals between the drone and the remote control. Transmitters are also used in peripheral areas. The drones that hit would slowly fall to the ground or be returned to their owners. However, it is also possible that they are simply stranded in the border area.
The NPA received an additional budget for anti-drone measures in the supplementary budget for fiscal year 2018 and in the next budget. Funding totalling 1.4 billion yen (just over 11 million euros) was approved for fiscal 2019 alone.
The first major event involving jammers is likely to be Emperor Akihito's abdication ceremony on April 30. These heralded the end of the Heisei era. Crown Prince Naruhito ascended the throne on April 1, beginning the rewa era.
In addition, the first Japan G20 Summit will be held in Osaka at the end of June. Shortly thereafter (September to November), the country will host the Rugby World Cup. Next July, Tokyo will host the Summer Olympics and Paralympics.
The NPA believes that action must be taken to combat drones, especially to prevent terrorist attacks. This is to better protect the many tourists who attend various events.
In April 2015, a drone crashed on the roof of the prime minister's office in Tokyo, a man whose owner had vehemently opposed the government's energy policy.
Following this incident, the Tokyo Police Department took the lead in introducing large drones in the country, designed to trap suspicious aircraft using the Internet. To that end, it created its own department.
