October 26 & 27, 2013
People living in base-hosting municipalities in the Tokyo Metropolitan area on October 23 met together in central Tokyo to report on their activities to oppose Osprey deployment and to remove presence of the base from their communities.
Tsuruta Kazutada heads a citizens’ group calling for the shutdown of the U.S. Yokota Air Base. He said that large-scale U.S. parachute training exercises at the base have been terrifying the residents since last year. He reported that mayors and assemblies of surrounding municipalities are calling for the retraction of consideration of the Osprey deployment on mainland Japan amid continuous accidents and frequent crimes committed by U.S. military-related personnel.
At the U.S. Atsugi Naval Air Station in Tokyo’s neighboring prefecture of Kanagawa, U.S. carrier-borne aircraft conduct touch-and-go landings with emitting roaring noise, complained Kawano Koji who also leads a citizens’ movement to eliminate noise pollution caused by U.S. aircraft. He said that local governments had received a record-high number of complaints last year.
A resident in downtown Tokyo working for the return of the U.S. heliport site in Akasaka stressed the importance of a united effort with the movement against the deployment of Ospreys.
The U.S. Air Force is reportedly considering assigning CV22 Ospreys to the U.S. Yokota AB. The Yokota training airspace stretches over Tokyo and eight other prefectures. So far, Tokyo’s 13 city and town assemblies have adopted statements opposing the stationing of CV22s in Tokyo.
Kunitachi City is located 10km southeast from the Yokota AB. The U.S. military aircraft often fly over the city. The city assembly’s resolution expresses concern about a possible increase in the risk of accidents when the aircraft change from airplane mode to helicopter mode.
The resolution adopted by the Kiyose City Assembly points out that one third of Japan’s population resides in the Tokyo Metropolitan area, and that they will be exposed to a high degree of danger if flight training exercises of CV22s are conducted over their heads.
Tsuruta Kazutada heads a citizens’ group calling for the shutdown of the U.S. Yokota Air Base. He said that large-scale U.S. parachute training exercises at the base have been terrifying the residents since last year. He reported that mayors and assemblies of surrounding municipalities are calling for the retraction of consideration of the Osprey deployment on mainland Japan amid continuous accidents and frequent crimes committed by U.S. military-related personnel.
At the U.S. Atsugi Naval Air Station in Tokyo’s neighboring prefecture of Kanagawa, U.S. carrier-borne aircraft conduct touch-and-go landings with emitting roaring noise, complained Kawano Koji who also leads a citizens’ movement to eliminate noise pollution caused by U.S. aircraft. He said that local governments had received a record-high number of complaints last year.
A resident in downtown Tokyo working for the return of the U.S. heliport site in Akasaka stressed the importance of a united effort with the movement against the deployment of Ospreys.
The U.S. Air Force is reportedly considering assigning CV22 Ospreys to the U.S. Yokota AB. The Yokota training airspace stretches over Tokyo and eight other prefectures. So far, Tokyo’s 13 city and town assemblies have adopted statements opposing the stationing of CV22s in Tokyo.
Kunitachi City is located 10km southeast from the Yokota AB. The U.S. military aircraft often fly over the city. The city assembly’s resolution expresses concern about a possible increase in the risk of accidents when the aircraft change from airplane mode to helicopter mode.
The resolution adopted by the Kiyose City Assembly points out that one third of Japan’s population resides in the Tokyo Metropolitan area, and that they will be exposed to a high degree of danger if flight training exercises of CV22s are conducted over their heads.
