© 2026 WRVO Public Media
NPR News for Central New York
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Tokyo Police Launch Drone Designed To Take Down Other Drones

Drones: it takes one to catch one.

In Tokyo, police will soon deploy a drone designed to take out suspicious drones or drones that enter into restricted airspace.

"Terrorist attacks using drones carrying explosives are a possibility," a senior member of the police department's Security Bureau told the Asahi Shimbun website. "We hope to defend the nation's functions with the worst-case scenario in mind."

Airspace restrictions were tightened on Dec. 10 when a revamped aviation law went into effect. The law addresses the increasing prevalence of drone use by the public, the site says.

It comes after an April incident in which a man, protesting Japan's nuclear energy program, landed a drone carrying radioactive material on the roof of the prime minister's residence.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Recent cuts to federal funding are challenging our mission to serve central and upstate New York with trusted journalism, vital local coverage, and the diverse programming that informs and connects our communities. This is the moment to join our community of supporters and help keep journalists on the ground, asking hard questions that matter to our region.

Stand with public media and make your gift today—not just for yourself, but for all who depend on WRVO as a trusted resource and civic cornerstone in central and upstate New York.