DroneScoutRemote ID in Japan
Last reviewed: 2026-10-06
What is Remote ID? How the technology works: the standards, what a broadcast contains, and Bluetooth vs Wi-Fi transmission.
Since 20 June 2022, every drone or model aircraft of 100 g or more flown outdoors in Japan must be registered with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), show its registration mark, and broadcast Remote ID. Japan was one of the first countries to make Remote ID mandatory, and its 100 g threshold is lower than the 250 g used in the US and many other countries.
Which drones must broadcast it?
| Situation | Remote ID |
|---|---|
| Drone of 100 g or more, flown outdoors | Required — built in, or with an external Remote ID module |
| Registered during the pre-registration period (20 December 2021 – 19 June 2022) | Exempt, also after the registration is renewed |
| Tethered flight, with a sufficiently strong line | Exempt |
| Flight in an area notified to MLIT in advance, with measures such as assistants watching the flight and the area clearly marked | Exempt |
| Drone under 100 g | Not required (no registration either) |
Registration is valid for three years. Owners register online in MLIT's DIPS system and write the registration data into the drone or module with MLIT's own app.
How the broadcast works
MLIT's technical specification builds on the US standard ASTM F3411-19. The broadcast must go out at least once per second, automatically for as long as the drone flies, and the pilot must not be able to switch it off. Three radio transports are allowed:
- Bluetooth 5 Long Range
- Wi-Fi NaN (Wi-Fi Aware)
- Wi-Fi Beacon
One difference matters for receivers: ASTM F3411 normally requires a drone that broadcasts on Bluetooth Long Range to send the same data over Bluetooth Legacy too, for older phones. Japan waives that rule, so a Japanese Remote ID module can broadcast on Bluetooth Long Range only.
What does the broadcast contain?
- the registration mark, prefixed with "JA." — for example
JA.JU12345ABCDE - the manufacturer's serial number
- the drone's position, speed and time
- an authentication code (AES-128-CCM) that lets the authorities check the message is genuine
The broadcast is not encrypted. Registration mark, serial number and position are sent in the clear, so any receiver that understands ASTM F3411 can read them; AES-128-CCM is used only to calculate the authentication code. Checking that code needs the drone's secret key, which the owner writes into the drone or module with MLIT's app or a manufacturer's app connected to MLIT's registration system. The key is not public, so only the authorities can verify that a message is genuine. DroneScout checks that the authentication message is present, but cannot verify it.
The broadcast contains no personal information. The pilot's location is optional in Japan, unlike in the US and the EU, so many Japanese drones and modules don't send it.
How to see it
Japanese Remote ID uses the ASTM F3411 data format, which DroneScout implements, so DroneScout shows each broadcasting drone live on a map with its registration mark and serial number. Japan's transports are the hard ones for phones, though: Android needs working Bluetooth Long Range S8 or Wi-Fi scanning, and an iPhone can receive none of the three on its own — see the FAQ. DroneScout Bridge receives all three and passes them on to Android and iPhone alike.