Chapter V. Operations

Section 1. General

(Prohibition of Utilizing Radio Stations beyond Their Purposes, Etc.)

Article 52.

No radio station shall be operated beyond the scope of purposes, persons with whom to communicate or communications subjects (or broadcasting particulars for broadcasting radio stations (except those for the purpose of conducting telecommunications service)) which are entered on the license. However, this shall not apply to the following communications:

i) Distress traffic (meaning radio communications conducted by the methods preceded by the distress signal or specified in the applicable ministerial ordinance of the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications, at the time when a ship or an aircraft is threatened by grave and imminent danger; hereinafter the same shall apply.)

ii) Urgency traffic (meaning radio communications conducted by the methods preceded by the urgent signal or specified in the applicable ministerial ordinance of the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications, at the time when a ship or an aircraft is expected to run into grave and imminent danger, or at the time of urgency; hereinafter the same shall apply.)

iii) Safety traffic (meaning radio communications conducted by the methods preceded by the safety signal or specified in the applicable ministerial ordinance of the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications, for the purpose of prevention of serious danger to the navigation of a ship or an aircraft; hereinafter the same shall apply.)

iv) Emergency traffic (meaning radio communications conducted for saving lives, relieving from disaster, securing transportation telecommunications or maintaining public order, when impossible or extremely difficult to rely upon wired communications, where earthquake, typhoon, flood, tidal wave, snow damage, conflagration, riot or any other emergency occurred or anticipated to occur; hereinafter the same shall apply.).

v) Receiving broadcast.

vi) Other communications specified in the applicable ministerial ordinance of the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications #.

# The Regulations for Enforcement of the Radio Law, Article 37.

Article 53.

Where operating a radio station, the location of its radio equipment, identification signal, type of radio waves, and frequencies shall observe terms of the license. However, this shall not apply to distress traffic.

Article 54.

For operating a radio station, its antenna power shall satisfy each of the following items. However, this shall not apply to distress traffic:

i) The range of antenna power is within terms of the license.

ii) The antenna power is as small as possible for conducting communications.

Article 55.

A radio station shall not be operated beyond the permitted operations hours entered on the license. However, this shall not apply to the case where conducting communications referred to in each item of Article 52 or which is specified in the applicable ministerial ordinance of the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications.

(Prevention of Radio Interference, Etc.)

Article 56.

(1) A radio station shall be operated in such a way not to cause interference or any other disturbances harmful to the operation of other radio stations, or receiving equipment used for the radio astronomy service (meaning a service to receive astronomy radio waves emitted in the outer space), or other receiving equipment (except that of radio stations) which is specified in the applicable ministerial ordinance of the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications # and designated by the Minister of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications. However, this shall not apply to the communications referred to in Article 52 items i) through iv).

# The Regulations for Enforcement of the Radio Law, Article 50-2.

(2) The designation provided in the preceding paragraph shall be made upon application by a person who installs the receiving equipment related to that designation.

(3) When making a designation in accordance with the provisions of paragraph (1), the Minister of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications shall issue a public notice of particulars, which are specified in the applicable ministerial ordinance of the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications #, of the receiving equipment related to the aforementioned designation.

# The Regulations for Enforcement of the Radio Law, Article 50-6.

(4) In addition to the particulars provided in the preceding two paragraphs, application procedures for the designation, designation standards, revocation of the designation and other particulars necessary for designation provided in paragraph (1) shall be specified in the applicable ministerial ordinance of the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications #.

# The Regulations for Enforcement of the Radio Law, Articles 50-3 through Article 50-9.

(Use of Dummy Antenna Circuits)

Article 57.

Where falling under the following items, a radio station shall use dummy antennae circuit to the practicable extent:

i) When testing or adjusting radio equipment.

ii) When operating an experimental radio station.

(Communications of Experimental Radio Stations, Etc.)

Article 58.

Neither experimental radio stations nor amateur radio stations shall use cryptographs in their communications.

(Protection of Secrecy)

Article 59.

Unless specified by law, no one shall intercept, divulge, or take advantage of the existence or contents of radio communications which is conducted for any particular person (except communications of Article 4 paragraph (1) or Article 90 paragraph (2) of the Telecommunications Business Law; the same shall apply to Article 109).

(Provision of a Timepiece and Service Documents)

Article 60.

A radio station shall install an accurate timepiece, a radio inspection book, a radio service log and other documents which are specified in the applicable ministerial ordinance of the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications #. However, all or a part of this installation may be omitted for radio stations which are specified in the applicable ministerial ordinance of the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications ##.

# The Regulations for Enforcement of the Radio Law, Article 38 paragraph (1).

## The Regulations for Enforcement of the Radio Law, Article 38-2 and 38-3.

(Methods of Communications, Etc.)

Article 61.

Calling, answering and other communications methods, collation of timepieces, adjustment of radio equipment on lifeboats and direction-finding apparatus, and other particulars necessary for maintaining the functions of radio equipment are specified in the applicable ministerial ordinance of the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications. #

# The Ordinance for Regulating the Operation of Radio Stations.

Section 2. Operation of Coast Stations, Etc.

(Operation of Ship Stations)

Article 62.

(1) The operation of a ship station is only allowed when at sea. However, this shall not apply to the case where only operating receiving equipment, or conducting communications referred to in each item of Article 52, or which is specified in the applicable ministerial ordinance of the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications. #

# The Ordinance for Regulating the Operation of Radio Stations, Article 40.

(2) When a coast station (meaning a radio station established on land to communicate with ship stations; hereinafter the same shall apply.) receives any disturbance to its operation from a ship station, the coast station may request the ship station causing such disturbance to take measures necessary for eliminating it.

(3) When a ship station receives, where conducting communications with a coast station, instructions related to communications order or time, or type of radio waves, or frequencies from the coast station, the ship station shall observe those instructions.

(Operation of Coast Stations, Etc.)

Article 63.

Coast stations and coast earth stations (meaning radio stations which are established on land for the purposes of telecommunications service and communicates with ship earth stations via relay of satellite stations; hereinafter the same shall apply.) shall operate all the time. However, this shall not apply to the coast stations and the coast earth stations specified in the applicable ministerial ordinance of the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications.

Article 64.

(Deleted)

(Watchkeeping Obligation)

Article 65.

The radio stations referred to in the left column of the following table and specified in the applicable ministerial ordinance of the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications shall keep watch on the frequencies referred to in the right column, consecutively for those referred to in paragraphs i) and ii) in the table, during hours specified in the applicable ministerial ordinance of the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications for those referred to in paragraph iii), and during obligated operations hours (meaning the hours during which radio stations are obliged to operate; hereinafter the same shall apply.) for those referred to in item iv). However, this shall not apply to where specified in the applicable ministerial ordinance of the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications.

(Distress Traffic)

Article 66.

(1) Any coast station, coast earth station, ship station and ship earth station (to be referred to as "coast station, etc." in the following article and Article 68), when receiving distress traffic, shall reply thereto immediately, with absolute priority over all other radio communications, and take the best measures for communications related to the rescue such as informing the radio station at the most convenient position to help save the ship or aircraft in distress, in accordance with the provisions of the applicable ministerial ordinance of the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications.

(2) All radio stations, when receiving distress traffic or radio communications conducted by the methods specified in the applicable ministerial ordinance of the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications of Article 52 item i), shall immediately stop emission of radio waves which could interfere with the distress traffic.

(Urgency Traffic)

Article 67.

(1) Any coast station, etc. shall deal with urgency traffic with the second highest priority next to distress traffic.

(2) Any coast station, etc., when receiving urgency signals or radio communications conducted by the methods specified by the applicable ministerial ordinance of the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications of Article 52 item ii), shall receive the urgency traffic consecutively until determining that those communications have no relation to itself (at least for three minutes in the case which is specified in the applicable ministerial ordinance of the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications), unless when conducting distress traffic.

(Safety Traffic)

Article 68.

(1) Any coast station, etc. shall deal with safety traffic expeditiously and assuredly.

(2) Any coast station, etc., when receiving safety signals or the radio communications conducted by the methods specified in the applicable ministerial ordinance of the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications of Article 52 item iii), shall receive the safety traffic until determining that those communications have no relation to itself.

(Communications to Tune up Ship Station Equipment)

Article 69.

Any coast or ship station requested from a ship station to communicate for tuning up radio equipment shall accept such a request to the practicable extent.

Article 70.

(Deleted)

Section 3. Operation of Aeronautical Stations, Etc.

(Operation of Aircraft Stations)

Article 70-2.

(1) The operation of aircraft radio station is only allowed during its flight or preparations before take-off. However, this shall not apply to the case where using only receiving equipment, or conducting communications referred to in each item of Article 52, or which is specified in the applicable ministerial ordinance of the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications. #

# The Ordinance for Regulating the Operation of Radio Stations, Article 142.

(2) When an aeronautical station (meaning a radio station established on land to communicate with aircraft stations; hereinafter the same shall apply.) or a coast station receives any disturbance to its operation from an aircraft station, the aeronautical station or the coast station may request the aircraft station causing such disturbance to take measures necessary for eliminating it.

(3) Whenever an aircraft station receives, when conducting communications with an aeronautical station, instructions related to communications order or time, or type of radio waves, or frequencies from the aeronautical station, the aircraft station shall observe those instructions.

(Obligated Operations Hours)

Article 70-3.

(1) Compulsory aircraft stations and compulsory aircraft earth stations shall operate during the hours which are specified by the applicable ministerial ordinance of the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications. #

(2) Aeronautical stations and aeronautical earth stations (meaning radio stations which are established on land and communicate with aircraft earth stations via relay of satellite stations; the same shall apply to the following article.) shall operate all the time. However, this shall not apply to the case where specified by the applicable ministerial ordinance of the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications. ##

# The Ordinance for Regulating the Operation of Radio Stations, Article 143.

## The Ordinance for Regulating the Operation of Radio Stations, Article 144.

(Watchkeeping Obligation)

Article 70-4.

Aeronautical stations, aeronautical earth stations, aircraft stations and aircraft earth stations (to be referred to as "aeronautical station, etc." in Article 70-6 paragraph (2)) shall keep watch during obligated operations hours on the frequencies which are specified in the applicable ministerial ordinance of the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications. # However, this shall not apply to the case where specified in the applicable ministerial ordinance of the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications. ##

# The Ordinance for Regulating the Operation of Radio Stations, Article 146.

## The Ordinance for Regulating the Operation of Radio Stations, Article 147.

(Communications Report of Aircraft Stations)

Article 70-5.

When in the air, an aircraft station shall report by methods specified in the applicable ministerial ordinance of the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications # to an aeronautical station specified in the applicable ministerial ordinance of the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications. #

# The Ordinance for Regulating the Operation of Radio Stations, Article 149.

(Provisions Applicable Correspondingly)

Article 70-6.

(1) The provisions of Article 69 (Communications to Tune up Ship Station Equipment) shall apply, mutatis mutandis, to the operation of aeronautical and aircraft stations.

(2) The provisions of Article 66 (Distress Traffic) and Article 67 (Urgency Traffic) shall apply, mutatis mutandis, to the operation of aeronautical stations, etc.