Tokyo police have conducted an anti-terrorism drill, including the seizure of a suspicious drone by using an interceptor drone, ahead of the Tokyo Marathon next month.
The drill was conducted Sunday in a parking lot at the Tokyo Big Sight convention center in Koto Ward, which will be used as the finish area for the Feb. 28 marathon.
The interceptor, introduced by the Metropolitan Police Department last month, is about 1 meter in diameter and is equipped with a net measuring about 3 meters long and 2 meters wide to capture suspicious drones.
It is operated by a special unit of the riot squad.
The Tokyo police currently have only one interceptor but plan to add another 10 by next month. The first was introduced following the discovery of a suspicious small drone on the rooftop of the building housing the prime minister’s office last April.
This is the first time the MPD has disclosed an interceptor drone exercise to the media.
After an unidentified drone took off from a boat anchored in Tokyo Bay and flew toward the parking lot, runners and spectators were evacuated and the interceptor drone was mobilized.
The police drone quickly flew close to the suspicious drone, which was hovering, and captured it using the net.
Source: Japan Times Video and image: ANN
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