Stop U.S. low-flight exercises in Japan

Japan Press Weekly

Japan Press Service Co., Ltd. is the only news agency providing information of progressive, democratic movements in Japan

Stop U.S. low-flight exercises in Japan

Akahata editorial

Sonic booms from low-altitude flight training exercises conducted by U.S. military aircraft are disturbing residents across Japan and causing growing concerns about possible plane crashes.

The number of the low-flight exercises is said to have decreased. However, residents are still complaining in Hokkaido, some prefectures in northeast Japan, Gunma, and Nagano prefectures as well as in mountain areas in the southwestern region that includes Hiroshima Prefecture, plus Tokara Islands in Kagoshima Prefecture.

The recent FA-18D Hornet crash that killed residents in the United States added fear among residents in these regions.

If the safety of residents is to be ensured, a halt to low-altitude flight exercises is indispensable. No attempt simply to “minimize adverse impacts” will be effective.

Flying at an altitude below 150 meters

U.S. military aircraft flying at high speeds are buzzing the ground while scattering the area with thunderous noise. Their shock waves actually break the widows of buildings. After appearing suddenly, they leave behind sonic booms that could cause “heart attacks” to residents. How can residents live in peace under such circumstances?

At the House of Councilors meeting on April 18, Japanese Communist Party representative Nihi Sohei demanded that the government take effective measures to stop the U.S. low-flight exercises.

Defense Minister Ishiba Shigeru responded by saying, “After being exposed to the thunderous noise, I myself shared the great fear expressed by local people concerned.” If he really shared the fear, why did he leave the matter unchecked?

Alleging that their lawless flights in Japan are in accordance with domestic laws, the government has made no effort to regulate such flights. Many witnessed U.S. warplanes flying below the altitude of 300 meters over densely populated areas and as low as about 150 meters in other areas, which is in violation of the Aviation Law.

While the Japanese government kept on ignoring the testimonies of witnesses, the U.S. Forces in Japan officially replied to the Tokushima Prefectural Government last August that U.S. aircraft were flying below the 150-meter level over non-densely populated areas.

Ignoring local requests, the government has made no inquiry into these illegal flights.

The government must stop accepting the low-flight exercises by foreign troops and take urgent steps to address residents’ concerns.

The government gives priority to low-flight exercises over the safety of residents because it has determined that nothing is more important than the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty.

The government went so far as to say that maintaining and improving U.S. air force pilots’ maneuverability skills through low-flight exercises is “essential for maintaining U.S. forces’ operational capabilities in a state of readiness.

Low-flight exercises are not meant to ensure Japan’s safety. They are designed to meet the U.S. strategy of launching preemptive strikes as part of the U.S. military intervention policy anywhere in the world.

The low-flight exercises are intended to help pilots to increase their skill to access to enemy targets and strike them while avoiding radar detection in enemy areas.

How can Japan allow the U.S. to continue such low-flight exercises to enhance their capabilities in lawless wars?

Negotiation with U.S. is necessary to stop low-flight exercises

In the light of the Constitution safeguarding the right of the people to live in peace, how can it be allowed to expose residents to the possible danger of crashes of U.S. aircraft and rob them of their right to live in peace?

It is very arrogant for Nishimiya Shin’ichi, the Japanese Foreign Ministry’s North American Bureau director, to state at the House of Representatives committee on National Land and Transportation on December 14 that “Japan should be careful in requesting the U.S. to suspend their low-flight exercises in Japan.”

It is high-time for the Japanese government to reconsider its subservience to the United States, and carry out negotiations with the U.S. so that their low-flight exercises be discontinued. - Akahata, December 19, 2008