January 7, 2013

Akahata editorial (excerpts)

The Abe administration will soon start to draft the budget for FY2013. It is reported that the administration has decided to purchase new-model Ospreys from the United States and is planning to attach a 10 million yen of research cost to the FY2013 budget draft.

The aircraft are defective and dangerous because they have repeatedly crashed. Because of this, Okinawans are opposing the forcible deployment of Ospreys to the prefecture and demanding withdrawal of the deployment. Residents of other prefectures are also protesting against the planned Osprey deployment and flight training in their localities. The government’s decision to procure Ospreys despite public protests will trample on people’s demands.

Prime Minister Abe probably wants to offer the purchase of Ospreys as a gift to his U.S. counterpart. That is why Abe showed his intention to buy the aircraft before the Japan-U.S. summit talks which will be held sometime in the very near future. It is unforgivable for the prime minister to work so hard to please Washington and disregard the anxieties of Okinawans who are forced to live with the threat of Osprey crashes.

One Osprey aircraft reportedly costs 10 billion yen. The government has yet to announce how many Osprey it will purchase. But, regardless of the quantity, the Osprey purchase will require a large sum of money and, thus, lead to an increase in Japan’s military budget. It is unacceptable for the government to spend an enormous amount of tax payers’ money for the introduction of Ospreys while imposing the higher consumption tax rate on the general public.