TOKYO: Japan's newspaper industry association has called for maximum consideration to be given to the need to use drones for news gathering as the National Police Agency considers tightening regulations on unmanned aircraft, Kyodo News Agency reported.
While expressing understanding that the legal revisions are aimed at counter-terrorism, the Japan Newspaper Publishers & Editors Association said in a statement released on Friday (March 6) that such measures must not unduly infringe on the public's right to know or the freedom of news gathering and reporting.
In December, an expert panel of the agency proposed expanding drone no-fly zones from about 300 metres to 1,000 metres around designated facilities, including the prime minister's office, and enabling immediate enforcement within those zones.
The agency is seeking to revise the law banning small unmanned aircraft flights, with the newspaper industry group arguing that drones are an indispensable tool for news coverage at disaster sites and scenes of major accidents.
The group also said that cracking down on flights near such facilities could have a chilling effect on drone operations even outside those areas and adversely affect their use beyond news reporting.
It added that blanket regulations that fail to take into account the capabilities of individual drones could amount to excessive restrictions, while urging flexible implementation of the framework. - Bernama/Kyodo
