Japan faces hurdles in plan to deploy drones

Legal restrictions and safety precautions are threatening to stand in the way of Japan's plan to bolster its surveillance capabilities.
The Defense Ministry requested 200 million yen ($2 million) for research in the fiscal 2014 budget, with an eye on introducing at least one unmanned surveillance aircraft in fiscal 2015.
The candidate being considered is the RQ-4 Global Hawk, built by Northrop Grumman of the United States. It can fly for more than 28 hours at an altitude of 18 kilometers.
asahi