Japan’s civil aviation authority sets a registration threshold that catches most drones, not just the large or commercial ones, and then layers a set of operating rules on top of that.
Registration is mandatory, and the threshold is low
The Civil Aviation Bureau states this without exception for weight: “It is mandatory to register your unmanned aircraft, which weighs 100g or more, under the Civil Aeronautics Act in Japan.” One hundred grams is a low bar compared to the general sense that registration rules are only for “real” drones — under Japan’s published rule, it applies to a wide range of consumer aircraft, not only heavier commercial models.
The aircraft has to prove it’s registered, in flight
Registration isn’t paperwork you keep at home. The source requires the aircraft itself to carry the proof: “You must display a registration ID on your unmanned aircraft and equip it with a remote ID function.”
Some airspace and flight methods require permission in advance
Beyond registration, the source states a further requirement: “You must get flight permission / approval in advance if you fly your unmanned aircraft in the airspace and ways to fly below.” The page’s own list of which airspace and which flight methods trigger this isn’t published here, so we are not going to guess at it or reproduce specifics the source doesn’t state. If you’re planning anything beyond a simple flight in open, clearly unrestricted space, confirm the specifics directly with the Civil Aviation Bureau before you fly.
Basic operating rules apply to every flight
Two rules apply regardless of registration or permission status. First: “Do not fly unmanned aircraft under the influence of alcohol and drugs.” Second: “Fly unmanned aircraft after preflight actions” — in other words, preflight checks are required before every flight, not just before flights under special permission.
Extra recordkeeping once you’re flying under permission or approval
If your flight requires the advance permission described above, two further obligations follow. You must report your plan ahead of time: “You must report your flight plan (time and date, route, and altitude, etc.) to MLIT in advance, when you fly your unmanned aircraft under the flight permission / approval from MLIT.” And you must keep records as you go: “You must keep your flight logbook and enter all of necessary items about journey log, daily inspection log, and inspection and maintenance record, when you fly your unmanned aircraft under the flight permission / approval from MLIT.”
Accidents get reported no matter what
This one has no carve-out for whether you had permission in the first place: “You must report an accident / serious incident, regardless of whether you get a flight permission / approval or not.”
The airspace list and visitor process are missing
Two real gaps remain. First, as noted above, the actual list of restricted airspace and flight methods that trigger the advance-permission requirement isn’t in the portion of the source we have — we know the requirement exists, not its specifics. Second, the page doesn’t address how a short-term foreign visitor is actually meant to register a personal drone brought into Japan for a trip — whether there’s a visitor-specific process, what it requires, or how long it takes. For a traveler planning to bring their own drone, that’s arguably the more practical question, and it isn’t answered here.
If you’re bringing a drone to Japan, plan on registering it — the threshold is just 100g — and confirm with the Civil Aviation Bureau, before you fly, both how a visitor completes that registration and which airspace near you needs advance permission.