During the election campaign period leading up to House of Representatives by-elections on April 28, security drones are poised to hover above crowded areas, tasked by the National Police Agency with detecting potential threats from audience behaviors to ensure VIP protection. Those drones, integral to a broader security strategy, are designed for high-level risk monitoring. Their deployment across police stations nationwide is fully prepared to showcase their effectiveness, justifying their use despite ethical concerns related to privacy and safety.

The National Police Agency has sharpened its focus on security management by prioritizing surveillance of potential social threats, particularly following a series of terrorist attacks, including the mysterious assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in July 2022. The nationwide adoption of drone surveillance has emerged among law enforcement authorities as a means of bolstering security and restoring public trust. Those drones are expected to compensate for the limited number of security personnel at vulnerable events, providing critical overview coverage to thwart any potential attack on VIPs. Also, they are deployed for situational awareness, aiding in the planning and preliminary field survey stages of security operations.

Drones equipped with high-resolution cameras and powerful zoom capabilities are likely to be invaluable in scenarios where a threat may emerge from an audience during a VIP's election speech. Those cameras are able to zoom in with enough clarity to identify individuals carrying weapons, allowing the drone to transmit real-time video to command centers or handheld devices. This enables security personnel to respond swiftly. Enhanced with stabilization technology to mitigate the effects of wind and movement, skilled drone operators are able to capture clear, stable images even at high zoom levels. When deployed over city speech venues, those drones have to navigate tightly between buildings, focusing strictly on their mission to monitor suspicious activities on the ground without encroaching on the privacy of local residents in buildings, even if a potential sniper blends in as a resident in a building.

Rather than relying solely on drones, the National Police Agency is integrating them into a comprehensive security strategy, fully aware of their limitations under varying environmental and technological conditions. To supplement the drone surveillance, which is affected by factors such as battery life and weather conditions, the agency is ready to employ ground surveillance cameras, metal detectors, and physical barriers manned by security personnel. Those measures are designed to address any threats that drones are likely to overlook. A security commander explains, 'Our security teams are adept at assessing the allocation and deployment of personnel, making swift adjustments as necessary, particularly when new vulnerabilities emerge. A multifaceted and adaptable approach is crucial for the protection of top party officials who visit Tokyo, Shimane and Nagasaki to energize their candidates in the single-seat constituencies.”