Japanese police said Friday they are investigating a man who claimed responsibility for landing a drone on the roof of the Japanese prime minister’s office this week.
Tokyo metropolitan police said the man turned himself in to Fukui prefectural police in western Japan.
The small drone found Wednesday had traces of radiation and triggered fear of potential terrorist attacks using unmanned aerial devices.
Police have not determined whether the man was responsible for the drone or had broken any law. He hasn’t been arrested, and his identity has not been released.
The drone was carrying a small camera and a plastic bottle containing what police suspect was the source of radioactive cesium, levels of which were too low to affect humans or the environment.
The government has set up a taskforce to compile a legal framework for the use of small drones and ensure the security of key government facilities.
Kyodo News agency said a police official quoted the 40-year-old man as saying he flew the drone to protest the government’s nuclear energy policy.
It is not clear exactly when the drone landed because workers at the office in central Tokyo rarely go up to the roof. An official taking new employees on a building tour reportedly spotted the drone.
