information about Fukushima published in English in Japanese media info publiée en anglais dans la presse japonaise
22 Avril 2015
April 22, 2015
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201504220015
THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
A small, camera-equipped drone discovered on the roof of the prime minister's office building in Tokyo on April 22 produced a low level of radiation, police said.
Officials of the Metropolitan Police Department noted that the pilotless craft displays a hazard symbol for radiation.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is currently visiting Indonesia.
The craft measures 50 centimeters in diameter and has four bladed propellers. It is also fitted with a plastic container that is 3 cm in diameter and 10 cm high. There was no word on its possible contents.
A staff member in the prime minister’s office found the drone around 10:25 a.m. and reported the matter to police about 15 minutes later.
The worker was checking facilities on the roof. An inspection had not been done for some time. It could not be determined when the drone fell or landed on the roof.
Police are trying to ascertain the drone's ownership and determine why it had been flying.
Police have been on alert because of online postings earlier this year that hinted at plans to launch drones over the Imperial Palace grounds.
According to the transport ministry, a small unmanned drone is not considered an aircraft under the Aviation Law. There are no restrictions on such craft flying over the prime minister’s office at an altitude under 250 meters.
The ministry has been discussing whether to regulate drone flights while considering their commercial applications.
In January, a drone crashed on the grounds of the White House in Washington.
http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20150422p2g00m0dm066000c.html
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- A four-propeller drone about 50 centimeters long equipped with a miniature camera has been found on the roof of the prime minister's office in Tokyo, police said Wednesday.
The drone, which was also carrying a flare and a 10-centimeter plastic bottle, apparently fell onto the roof from the sky, the Metropolitan Police Department said. A staff member of the prime minister's office found the drone around 10:30 a.m.
An investigative source said a low level of radiation was detected from the drone, which bore a radioactivity symbol.
"We don't think it poses any danger," a government source said. When asked about the possibility that it was an attempted terrorist act, the source said "We don't know."
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is currently in Indonesia for the Asian-African conference where he delivered a speech on Japan's contributions to global peace.
The prime minister's office is located in the central Tokyo and near government ministries and the National Diet Building.
In January, a drone crash at the U.S. White House spurred security concerns.
Japan has no rules regarding low-flying drones and no official licenses are required to fly them. There are around 20,000 drones in the country, according to the Japan UAS Industrial Development Association.
Under the aviation law, people do not need to report to authorities unless they fly drones at an altitude of 150 meters or higher under flight routes used by regular aircraft, and 250 meters or higher in other areas, the transport ministry said.
April 22, 2015(Mainichi Japan)
Staff Writer
A drone about 50 cm wide equipped with what appeared to be a small camera, a smoke flare and emblazoned with a radiation symbol was found on the roof of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s Tokyo office on Wednesday morning, officials and media reports said.
Investigators said they also detected trace amounts of radiation from the device.
The drone was discovered at 10:27 a.m. by a worker at the office in the Nagatacho district of Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward, Abe’s office said in a statement.
Officials immediately reported the discovery to police, who launched an investigation into the incident, the statement said without elaborating further.
Aerial footage taken by broadcaster NHK on Wednesday showed what appeared to be the drone sitting on top of the five-story building, with investigators milling around the device.
The drone appeared to be equipped with a camera, smoke pot and plastic bottle, NHK reported.
Abe is currently in Indonesia to attend commemorations marking the 60th anniversary of the Asian-African Conference.
The discovery has highlighted an apparent lack of regulations covering drone flights, though various models of the product are now widely available in shops in Japan.
According to the transport ministry, the aviation law requires a drone operator to inform the aviation authority if they plan a flight at an altitude of 250 meters or higher.
However, flights at other altitudes are not covered by the law, except for areas over and near an airport and within the flight routes of other aircraft, ministry officials said.
In January, a quadcopter drone was found inside the White House compound in the United States, making headlines around the world.
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