Overview
- All 40 units of the JGSDF’s “UAV Disaster Use I-type,” procured in 2020 and delivered in July–August that year, were not authorized for use until approvals were secured in July 2025.
- The Board of Audit found the force failed to obtain required frequency information at delivery and did not clearly instruct the supplier to provide it, leaving key documentation incomplete.
- After the supplier reported three frequency measurements in February 2021, partial approvals were issued, but unapproved emissions were discovered in September 2024 and full authorization followed only after audit-driven fixes in 2025.
- The fleet cost about ¥74.8 million, and the Ground Staff Office says similar-capability drones covered operations such as the January 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake response.
- The audit criticized the lapse as inappropriate for disaster readiness, and the Defense Equipment Agency said it will work to prevent a recurrence through tighter procedures.