October 17, 2013
Japan’s Self-Defense Forces and the U.S. Forces Japan on October 16 held their first joint military exercise involving the U.S. aircraft MV-22 Ospreys at the SDF Aibano training area in Shiga Prefecture. Local residents observed the drill in protest near the field.
In the heavy rain accompanying a typhoon, two MV-22s arrived at the training area a little after 10:00 a.m. from the U.S. Iwakuni base in Yamaguchi Prefecture. About 40 members of the SDF and the U.S. Marine Corps alighted from the aircraft carrying guns, rushing into “enemy” territory one after another.
Japan’s Defense Ministry had explained that the SDF members would follow a chain of command different from that of the U.S. forces in the drill. However, the troops of the two nations boarded the same aircraft, taking action under the same command. This indicates that the two countries are increasingly promoting the integration of their military capabilities.
This military drill called “Heliborne” is not the kind of exercises that have been held in Okinawa. The Japanese and U.S. governments insist that they conducted the joint exercise on the Japanese mainland to alleviate the military burden on Okinawa, which hosts the bulk of U.S. military bases in Japan. In actuality, the two countries carried out a new type of drill in a location outside of Okinawa and did not “transfer” a conventional drill from the southernmost island.
In complete disregard of the local demand for the crash-prone aircraft to refrain from flying over urban districts, the Ospreys passed over the central area of Takashima City, including the city office and other buildings, and then flew into the training field in helicopter mode.
Hayafuji Yoshio, representing citizens’ groups against the military drills, blamed the governor and the city mayor for allowing such a dangerous exercise to take place.
Past related article:
> 1,100 citizens rally to oppose Japan-US joint military exercise using Ospreys [October 7 & 8, 2013]
In the heavy rain accompanying a typhoon, two MV-22s arrived at the training area a little after 10:00 a.m. from the U.S. Iwakuni base in Yamaguchi Prefecture. About 40 members of the SDF and the U.S. Marine Corps alighted from the aircraft carrying guns, rushing into “enemy” territory one after another.
Japan’s Defense Ministry had explained that the SDF members would follow a chain of command different from that of the U.S. forces in the drill. However, the troops of the two nations boarded the same aircraft, taking action under the same command. This indicates that the two countries are increasingly promoting the integration of their military capabilities.
This military drill called “Heliborne” is not the kind of exercises that have been held in Okinawa. The Japanese and U.S. governments insist that they conducted the joint exercise on the Japanese mainland to alleviate the military burden on Okinawa, which hosts the bulk of U.S. military bases in Japan. In actuality, the two countries carried out a new type of drill in a location outside of Okinawa and did not “transfer” a conventional drill from the southernmost island.
In complete disregard of the local demand for the crash-prone aircraft to refrain from flying over urban districts, the Ospreys passed over the central area of Takashima City, including the city office and other buildings, and then flew into the training field in helicopter mode.
Hayafuji Yoshio, representing citizens’ groups against the military drills, blamed the governor and the city mayor for allowing such a dangerous exercise to take place.
Past related article:
> 1,100 citizens rally to oppose Japan-US joint military exercise using Ospreys [October 7 & 8, 2013]
