Tokyo bans drones in public parks after radioactive quadcopter lands on prime minister’s roof

Yes, you read that correctly. In a classic case of one idiot ruining the fun for everyone else, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government today banned the use of radio-controlled helicopters and drones in all public parks and gardens. The new ordinance comes on the heels of the April 22 discovery of a small, camera-equipped drone on the roof of the Japanese prime minister’s office. According to The Asahi Shimbun, Tokyo Metropolitan Police tested the drone for hazardous materials and found trace amounts of radioactive cesium. The 50-centimeter quadcopter, reportedly a DJI Phantom (pictured above) was even emblazoned with the radiation warning symbol.

Sitting prime minister Shinzo Abe was on a trip to Indonesia when the drone was found by a staffer who was performing an inspection. Police arrested the pilot just three days later. The unemployed 40-year-old man turned himself in to police, admitting that the drone landing was an act of protest against the government’s response to the nuclear meltdown triggered by the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. It had been carrying sand from Fukushima, where efforts to contain the destroyed reactors have continuously failed. He faces up to three years behind bars.

The Japanese Transport Ministry doesn’t consider small, unmanned drones to be “aircraft” under current aviation law. Apart from being banned at airports, no other regulations exist for drones flying below 150 meters.

The drone ban affects 81 of the city’s parks and gardens and carries a JPY 50,000 (US$417) fine for those found in violation. Abe’s ruling party, the Liberal Democratic Party, is in the process of drafting additional legislation that will ban drone flights above government offices, embassies, and other “important facilities.” If passed, that law will carry a JPY 500,000 (US$4,170) fine.