Japan: AI-powered drones to monitor disaster zones and identify criminals

Japan is highly susceptible to natural disasters such as earthquakes and tsunamis. Severe events were recorded in March 2011 in northeastern Japan and, more recently, in January 2024 on the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture.

UAV crime prevention

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are used in many different applications nowadays, particularly in surveillance systems

In order to stop such threats, drone surveillance entails visually watching a person, a group, objects, or a scenario. Reliable hardware and advanced automation software must seamlessly integrate in order to develop an effective drone surveillance system.

Drone applications for smart security systems are in high demand in factories and structures. Drones operate at a far higher speed than police cars or security guards, which allows them to reach the scene of an incident much more quickly and enable timely corrective action.

Shinichi Ishizuka, founder of the Tokyo-based Criminal Justice Future think tank, says that the Japanese initiative will likely be effective in assisting police in monitoring vast areas impacted by natural disasters like earthquakes or tsunamis, reports the South China Morning Post (SCMP).

Ensuring the security of a region devastated by a natural disaster is part of the police’s primary duty of preventing crime.

“Drones would make that much easier to do and reassure people who have had to evacuate their homes that they are being protected. In that respect, this is not such a radical proposal and it is needed because of recent disasters,” Ishizuka told SCMP.

Advanced UAV integration

In January, the US Department of Defense and Japan’s Ministry of Defense agreed to integrate artificial intelligence and machine learning with advanced unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

According to a joint statement, the AI developed through this collaboration are expected to be incorporated into UAVs that will operate alongside Japan’s next-generation fighter aircraft.

Japan, the United Kingdom, and Italy aim to create an aircraft by the mid-2030s that combines speed, stealth, advanced sensors, and AI, capable of launching hypersonic missiles and potentially flying without a pilot.

Experts highlight Japan’s strong capabilities in robotics, particularly in factory automation, noting that this expertise is supported by a robust ecosystem of companies.

While the US leads in AI development, this cooperation is driven by geopolitical challenges, including Russian aggression and the rising militarism of China. Beyond the AI-drone program, the collaboration may extend to AI systems for undersea and surface naval warfare.

Coming to UAV surveillance cases, experts caution that this type of technology could be misused, highlighting the potentially “horrific” consequences of granting police excessive power following a disaster.