JMA, Japan Disaster Relief Boat Research Institute, Ichifuji Honten Begin Commercialization Study for Unmanned Patrol Boat Operations Using 'Marine Drone'

JMA (officially: Japan Multicopter Association, Headquarters: Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Representative Director: Masanobu Kudo), Japan Disaster Relief Boat Research Institute Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Kita-ku, Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture, Representative Director: Masanobu Kudo), and Ichifuji Honten Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Kita-ku, Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture, Representative Director: Masanobu Kudo) (hereinafter, the Marine Drone Joint Development Team) are pleased to announce that they have begun a study towards the commercialization and unmanned operation of patrol boat services utilizing the 'Marine Drone,' which has already been announced. This initiative, backed by remote control technology and long-duration operation performance confirmed through previous demonstration experiments, aims to reduce personnel and improve safety in water area monitoring and patrol operations.

Furthermore, this release is a progress report in the commercialization phase, following the Marine Drone demonstration experiment results report (dated February 17, 2026).

(Related release: https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000008.000122798.html)

■ Background

Currently, patrol boats are required for safety assurance in revetment construction, marine construction, and various events.

However, challenges exist such as the burden of securing personnel, onboard work in hazardous environments, and operational restrictions during bad weather, necessitating improved efficiency and safety in patrol operations.

As unmanned operation by Marine Drones has the potential to be an effective solution to these challenges, this commercialization study was initiated.

■ Study Content (Planned)

This study will proceed with verifying practicality and demand in the following use cases:

• Verification of patrol boat demand in revetment and marine construction

• Investigation of patrol boat deployment needs during rocket launches

• Consideration of unmanned search and monitoring activities during bad weather

• Other applications for various patrol and monitoring operations in water areas

■ Technical Background

Through previous development and demonstrations, the Marine Drone has been confirmed to enable stable remote control and continuous operation.

Furthermore, as it is possible to establish a remote management system assuming simultaneous operation of multiple units (approximately 30 boats), it can also support wide-area monitoring and distributed deployment operations.

■ Future Development

Going forward, we will proceed with verification aimed at practical operation and build a concrete scheme for commercialization through collaboration with relevant organizations and private businesses.

Through this initiative, we also aim to expand beyond patrol boat operations into areas such as illegal fishing monitoring, nearshore monitoring, and continuous monitoring in water areas, thereby promoting the social implementation of unmanned surface mobility.

【Related Press Releases】

・JMA Develops 'Marine Drone' Equipped with Patented 'Water Surface Monitoring System'

https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000001.000122798.html

・JMA Conducts Japan's First Remote Control and Unmanned Navigation Test for Special Small Vessels

https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000003.000122798.html

・JMA Develops New Water Rescue Drone 'Marine Board'

https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000004.000122798.html

・JMA, Japan Disaster Relief Boat Research Institute, Ichifuji Honten,

Complete 300 Hours of Demonstration Operation of 'Marine Drone' Water Drone Annually

https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000008.000122798.html

【About the Marine Drone Joint Development Team】

Company Name	Japan Multicopter Association (JMA) Japan Disaster Relief Boat Research Institute Co., Ltd. Ichifuji Honten Co., Ltd.
Representative	Masanobu Kudo
Location	【JMA】6-20-4 Shimouma, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 【Japan Disaster Relief Boat Research Institute】2-8-15 Houkancho, Kita-ku, Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture 【Ichifuji Honten】543-4 Tomihara, Kita-ku, Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture
TEL	086-255-1628 (10:00-17:00)
URL	https://marinedrone.jp/
Business Activities	Collaboration with companies, government, and various organizations Proposing drone utilization and operation methods to other industries Training FC加盟校, school partners, business partners Planning and operating special unmanned aerial vehicle schools Planning and operating programming classes and drone schools Planning and operating WTW (drone community) and free trial events Development, promotion, and dissemination of new businesses

【Contact for media inquiries regarding this matter】

Company Name	Japan Disaster Relief Boat Research Institute Co., Ltd.
Contact Person	Masanobu Kudo
TEL	086-252-5872 (10:00-17:00)
E-Mail	kudo@jma.world