A police investigation is underway after a radioactive drone was found on the roof of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s Tokyo office.
The drone was marked with the radioactive sign and equipped with a camera, flare and water bottle and public TV broadcaster NHK said the bomb squad had been called in to take away the drone
The drone was marked with the radioactive sign and equipped with a camera, flare and water bottle
It was not clear when the drone landed, but was found on Wednesday by an official who was reportedly taking new employees on a tour of the prime minister’s office in central Tokyo.
Abe was not at his office as he is marking the 60th anniversary of the Asian-African Conference in Indonesia this week. He usually works at the building during the day and commutes from his own private home which is about 15 minutes away.
The chief cabinet secretary, Yoshihide Suga, has said that the incident is a wake up call to the potential dangers of drones, which could include possible terror attacks when Japan hosts the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
RT report:
A group of ministry officials and security could be seen huddled around the UAV on the rooftop, as it was covered by a blue tarpaulin. Footage from broadcaster NHK first showed a device with four propellers, which was about 50cm wide.
Very low levels of radioactive cesium emanate from the drone, but are too low to cause any real harm to humans.
The contents of the bottle attached to the machine have not been disclosed.
The UAV was discovered about 10:30am by an employee, Abe’s office said in a statement, according to the Japan Times.
Police were called immediately and an investigation detected small levels of radiation.
One possible connection could be continuing citizen disapproval of the government’s reliance on nuclear energy, especially following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster.
The PM overcame another legal hurdle on the way to reopening Japan’s nuclear facilities last Wednesday, as a court rejected the bid to block the Sendai power station from reopening, to a chorus of disapproval.
Niamh Harris