Japan’s Military Teams Up with Drone Industry for Disaster Response Training

JUIDA and Seven Companies Join Ground Self-Defense Force in Nankai Rescue Drill to Prepare for Earthquakes and Natural Disasters

by DRONELIFE Staff Writer Ian J. McNabb

This article written in collaboration with JUIDA, the Japanese UAS Industrial Development Association.

The Japan UAS Industrial Development Association, JUIDA, recently announced its collaboration with the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force during their Nankai Rescue training drill. This wide-ranging collaboration included seven companies: Airology Lab, ACSL, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Furukawa Sangyo Co., Prodrone, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and Liberaware. 

The Nankai Rescue drill is designed to increase the JDF’s capabilities in the event of a large-scale natural disaster. Situated directly along the geologically active “Ring of Fire”, Japan is extremely prone to natural disasters such as earthquakes. The drill is named after the Nankai Trough, a fault line prone to creating devastating megathrust earthquakes along the main island of Japan’s heavily populated southern coast. While it has been some time since the last major earthquake, researchers believe that it’s only a matter of time before another seismic event occurs, highlighting the need for efficient, effective disaster relief response plans. 

Earlier in 2024, over 200 people died after a 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck 3.7 miles outside of Suzu, the largest city on the Noto peninsula. JUIDA’s involvement in rescue operations during the Noto Earthquake, including coordinating 29 companies and organizations, encouraged the military to deepen their relationship with the professional organization in order to increase the use of drones for key tasks such as infrastructure inspection, search and rescue, and delivery of vital supplies. 

According to their press release, “Based on the knowledge gained from the 29 companies and organizations assisting during the Noto Peninsula earthquake that occurred in January last year, JUIDA will promote cooperation with the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) and seven participating companies, and strive to promote the effective use of drones in the event of disaster response to disaster prevention personnel, including the Self-Defense Forces, by promoting cooperation with the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (the 3rd and 10th divisions) and the seven participating companies.”

The original press release is available here (in Japanese).

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