What is JUTM? (Organization overview)

Message from the Representative Director (translated from Japanese text)

Recently, the environment surrounding unmanned aircraft (drones) is undergoing significant changes. The airspace with an altitude of 150m or lower, in which manned aircraft normally do not fly, is known as the “last frontier”, and until now has not been utilized to any great extent. In recent years, this air space has become more widely utilized for aerial photography and the spraying of agricultural chemicals, etc., and many demonstration experiments are being conducted envisaging the utilization of drones in a wide range of applications with, for example, the use of drones in surveying work within the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT)’s new civil engineering and construction standard, i-Construction, now entering the practical application stage.

The boom in the use of drones as a hobby triggered a rapid expansion of the use of drones in the private sector, and was also a turning point at which new issues, such as safety and privacy, surfaced. In the future, in order for drones to be able to be operated on a regular basis as an integral part of social activity, they must be safe, both in the air and on the ground. And, it is important to have an environment in which businesses and users who use unmanned vehicles can continue their activities without unreasonable or inefficient regulations. JUTM is promoting the social implementation of unmanned vehicles, by working to develop technology, formulate rules and design systems, etc., so that unmanned vehicles can be operated safely.

Also, in the US and Europe, lively discussions are being held with regard to the drone traffic management, and efforts are underway to create structures within an international framework. We are firmly communicating JUTM’s initiatives to these countries. We plan to advance in collaboration with every kind of stakeholder, in pursuit of the realization of the industrial revolution of the skies, “a future society where people and drones can co-exist.”

Shinji SUZUKI
Representative Director
JUTM

What is JUTM?

JUTM’s name

JUTM is an acronym of Japan Unmanned System Traffic & Radio Management Consortium. In general, UTM (Unmanned Aerial System Traffic Management) refers to activities directed at unmanned aircraft, whereas JUTM includes land, air and seaborne unmanned vehicles, as well as investigation into the management of radio waves.

Established

July 11, 2016

Background

The voluntary “Study Group for Control Systems for the Safe Operation of Drones” was set up in 2015 (Chair: Shinji SUZUKI), and has conducted research and disseminated information on the necessary measures for the social implementation of drones and other unmanned vehicles, and the kind of social infrastructure that needs to be developed. Following on from the Study Group, Japan Unmanned System Traffic & Radio Management Consortium (JUTM) was established as an executive organization for the support of the realization of various measures relating to unmanned vehicles and the promotion of their commercialization.

Main aims

• We aim to promote an industrial revolution of the skies by creating a new industrial space, “a future society where people and drones can co-exist”.
• In the mid-term, our aim is to ensure the incorporation of Japanese systems and technology into the “international standards” that UTM are working on in countries around the world.

Founding members and their institutional roles

Shinji Suzuki, The University of Tokyo

Organization of Consortium and research liaison with universities

ANA Holdings

Experience and know-how in air transport, and collaboration with the aviation industry

NTT Communications Corporation

Investigation into the use of the airborne use of mobile phones

Japan Post

Investigation into application in the postal business

Hitachi

Investigation into the systemization of operation control

SUBARU

Investigation into the airframe safety

Yamato Holdings

Investigation into application in the physical distribution business

Hajime Asama

The University of Tokyo: General guidance in robot technology

National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST)

Performance evaluation methods

National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT)

Radio wave management technology

Aeronautical Technology Directorate, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)

Air space management technology

Electronic Navigation Research Institute (ENRI)

Air traffic management technology

Fukushima prefecture

Promotion of use of robot test fields

Membership qualifications

Members are assumed to be corporations (private sector companies, private sector bodies) interested in the commercial use of unmanned vehicles, academic experts, national research organizations, or national or local authorities, and the following four types of membership are available:

• Regular member
  • Corporate member: Private sector company or private sector organization
  • Special member: Academic specialist or public research institutions, such as a state-run research and development corporation
• Observer member: Public research institutions of national or local government, and their related bodies
• Supporting member: Groups that support the operation coordination activities of unmanned mobile image transmission systems, as well as university researchers and research institutions
• Honorary member: A distinguished member of the Consortium, or a person of significant academic standing, nominated at a General Meeting

Annual membership fees

The business year is from April to March of the following year.

Regular member

The membership fees for the first year of membership are as follows.
Joining period from April to December : JPY 100,000
Joining period from January to March : JPY 50,000
Annual membership fee from next year onwards : JPY 100,000

Supporting members

The membership fees for the first year of membership are as follows.
Joining period from April to December : JPY 30,000
Joining period from January to March : JPY 15,000
Annual membership fee from next year onwards : JPY 30,000

Honorary members

Free.

Observer members

Free.

Collaboration with Fukushima Robot Test Field

Through study meetings and symposia based on the data and findings obtained from demonstration experiments and performance evaluations carried out at Fukushima Robot Test Field, we conduct investigations geared towards international standards for operational control.

Participation in international projects

• We plan to participate actively in national research activities, etc.
• While there are no plans to participate directly in national projects as a Consortium, we will provide active support through the collaboration of participating members.
• Through study meetings and the like, we hope to promote collaboration in the research and development and verification activities of MLIT, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications in relation to safe operation and collision prevention technology.

Founding Prospectus
Download our Founding Prospectus (pdf)

Organizational structure

Enquiries

If you have any questions about membership, etc., please contact us by email at the following address:

Secretariat,
Japan Unmanned System Traffic & Radio Management Consortium (JUTM)
Akimoto (Fukushima RTF）, Nakamura (The University of Tokyo)
email: secretary@jutm.org