U.S. F/A-18 fighter jet took part in training exercise in Okinawa

Japan Press Weekly

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U.S. F/A-18 fighter jet took part in training exercise in Okinawa

A U.S. F/A-18 fighter jet crash in San Diego has raised concerns among Okinawan residents due to the revelation that a forward-deployed unit in the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, which the crashed warplane belonged to, took part in a readiness exercise in U.S. Kadena Air Base in Okinawa from December 1-5.

The exercise was for the Marine All Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 242 and 212 which were forward-deployed in the U.S. Marine Corps Iwakuni Air Station in Yamaguchi Prefecture from the Miramar Base. 200 servicemen and 10 F/A-18 fighter jets belong to each squadron.

At the Kadena Air Force Base, F/A-18 fighter jets frequently make emergency landings that could easily turn into major disasters.

According to the Okinawa Prefectural Government, U.S. warplanes, including F/A-18, experienced 28 cases of emergency landings and other types of accidents between January and the end of November this year.

The prefectural government also recognized that from 2003 to 2007, U.S. warplanes crashed or made emergency landings 241 times, including 22 emergency landings by F/A-18 at the Kadena Base.

In the U.S. Marine Corps Futenma Air Station in Ginowan City, an F/A-18 fighter jet made an emergency landing using a tail hook. “Many aircraft land on the base after circling over populated areas. Residents worry about the possibility of crashes and always suffer from their excessive noise,” said a Ginowan municipal official.

Noguni Masaharu, Chatan Town mayor and chair of the liaison council of three municipalities hosting the Kadena Base, (Chatan Town, and Okinawa and Kadena cities), called for a halt to flights by F/A-18 fighter jets in the December 10 issue of the Okinawa Times. He said, “To continue flying exercises without addressing the issue of residents’ anxiety (over crashes) indicates that military logic is prioritized and residents’ lives are made light of, which is not acceptable.”

- Akahata, December 11, 2008