Is one allowed to operate a live-feed drone on the streets in Japan? (Yakuza Judgement)
<p>In Yakuza Judgement, a detective agency often uses a <a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/TNGNd.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer">quad-copter drone</a> with a camera providing a live feed in the bustling city in Japan. One use they have for it (which is obviously problematic) is to snoop in buildings through windows.</p>
<p>But that usage aside, another way it's used is to remotely monitor one of their agents and provide back-up, without having to actually be there on the scene. Is using a drone like this legal? So long as you're not disturbing the peace and being dangerous, of course.</p>
<p>Since the game takes place in Japan (mainly Tokyo/Yokohama), my question is mainly directed there, but I'm also curious about what the law says about it in the United States, or other countries.</p>
<p>I am in particular reminded of the stories I've heard of <a href="https://i.imgur.com/nXao0Zj.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer">disabled students using robots with cameras in order to attend school</a>, which leads me to believe that this must be legal to a certain extent.</p>

<p>in <a href="/questions/tagged/japan" class="post-tag" title="show questions tagged &#39;japan&#39;" aria-label="show questions tagged &#39;japan&#39;" rel="tag" aria-labelledby="tag-japan-tooltip-container">japan</a> operation of an unmanned airborne vehicle, aka UAV, aka Drone, inside a city might be legal, <a href="https://uavcoach.com/drone-laws-in-japan/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">if a special license is obtained</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Drones may not be flown in the following manners <strong>without special permission from the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism</strong>: 150 meters (492 feet) above ground level; near airports; <strong>above densely inhabited areas</strong>, as defined by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>This means in reverse, that you could have such a special license, but that license needs to be obtained for each operation 10 days prior, may only be done in daytime <strong>and</strong> within line of sight between drone and operator. However, city centers are densily inhabited areas, so the default is banned.</p>
<p>However, in the countryside, flying a UAV does not require a special license, as long as the <a href="https://www.mlit.go.jp/en/koku/uas.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">general other rules</a> are followed (150 m above ground, 30 meters of any obstacle, daytime only, line of sight, etc). Among the requirements is also a total ban on alcohol at the control.</p>
<p>As a result, the operation as depicted is not lawful under the ordinary laws as they operate in our world, unless the drone operator has special permit.</p>

united-states recording japan drones