Japan Press Weekly

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2017 January 5 - 10 [POLITICS]

Okinawa governor condemns restarting of US Ospreys’ air refueling drills

Okinawa Governor Onaga Takeshi on January 5 held a news conference in the prefectural office building to condemn the resumption of aerial refueling training exercises for the U.S. Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft. The U.S. military had suspended the exercises since an MV-22 Osprey crashed into the shallows in Okinawa’s Nago City in December during such drills.

Onaga said, “I feel deep anger at the Japanese government which is giving the highest priority to U.S. demands while claiming that it will side with Okinawans.”

On the same day, Defense Minister Inada Tomomi published a comment showing “understanding” for the drill resumption while acknowledging that the cause of the latest accident has yet to be determined.

The governor denounced the U.S. military and the Japanese government for abruptly notifying the prefecture of the restart of Ospreys’ inflight refueling drills before they determine the cause of the crash. “As the leader of Okinawa, I demand that the central government set up a system to consider Okinawans’ demands instead of just meeting U.S. requests and take action to remove all Ospreys stationed in Okinawa.”

Shimizu Akira, 46, a member of a local residents’ group opposing the construction of the U.S. Osprey pads in the Takae district in Okinawa, pointed out that there is no guarantee that an Osprey will not crash in Takae. “I cannot understand Tokyo’s stance of accepting without question the U.S. military’s claim that ‘the safety of the aircraft is confirmed’,” he said.

Takahashi Mieko, representative of a civic group calling for the closure of the U.S. Yokota Air Base in Tokyo, said that the recent crash in Okinawa has revealed just how dangerous airborne refueling exercises are. Referring to the fact that MV-22s are flying in various regions throughout the country, she stressed that the U.S. forces should put a halt to Ospreys’ flight training drills.

Japan Peace Committee Secretary General Chisaka Jun issued a statement protesting against the resumption of the refueling exercises and pushing for the immediate suspension of Osprey flights as well as the total removal of the crash-prone aircraft from Japan.

Past related article:
> Okinawans hold urgent rally to protest against US Osprey crash in Okinawa [December 18, 2016]