January 30, 2010

The Japanese Communist Party Kanagawa Prefectural Committee on January 29 demanded that the U.S. Navy apologize for causing damage to a local citizen’s house by a part that fell from an F/A-18E fighter jet in Ayase City the day before.

Representatives of Kanagawa’s JCP visited the South Kanto Defense Bureau of the Defense Ministry and demanded that the bureau request the U.S. forces to apologize for the accident and to stop flying over residential areas. They said, “Accidents by U.S. aircraft continue to be repeated. Flight exercises over residential areas must be immediately stopped, and the base must be removed.”

Defense bureau officials said that they asked the U.S. side to investigate into the cause of the accident and take preventive measures.

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Kasama Seijirou, Ayase mayor, and Kondo Youichi, Ayase city assembly chair, also sent a letter to the commander of the U.S. Navy Atsugi Air Facility, demanding flight training by all planes using the same part be suspended.
- Akahata, January 30, 2010