August 19 & 20, 2022

In response to an Akahata inquiry, the U.S. Marine Corps stationed in Okinawa Prefecture on August 18 said that unlike the U.S. Air Force, it will continue with its MV22 Osprey flights.

The U.S. Air Force on August 17 grounded all 52 CV22 Ospreys due to a problem with the clutch on the aircraft, according to U.S. major military news outlets. The USAF admitted that this problem may cause a crash. It deploys six CV22 Ospreys to the U.S. Yokota Air Base in Tokyo. The six aircraft have made no flights since August 17, said a local peace organization in Tokyo’s Hamura City.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Marine Corps in its statement issued on August 18 announced that although the MV22 Osprey has a clutch problem as well, it will not suspend its flights of MV22 aircraft.

Okinawa Governor Tamaki Denny on this day issued a comment demanding that the USMC ground 24 MV22s deployed at its Futenma base in Ginowan City in the prefecture and conduct safety checks.

The governor pointed out that accidents involving Osprey aircraft, including fatal ones, have repeatedly been reported right from the development process to this day, and stressed that Okinawa Prefecture is opposed to the Osprey deployment.