Japan Press Weekly

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2014 May 21 - 27 [US FORCES]

JCP Aomori urges governor to oppose deployment of US drones

The Aomori governor should oppose the deployment of the U.S. Global Hawk surveillance drones to the Misawa Base in Aomori, the Japanese Communist Party prefectural committee on May 23 said at a representation to the local government.

JCP members of the prefectural assembly Suwa Masuichi and Ando Harumi along with members of the Aomori City Assembly Fujiwara Kohei and Murakawa Midori visited the prefectural government office to file a written petition.

A prefectural government official in reply said that the prefecture is given little detail about the planned deployment of U.S. unmanned aircraft as it is the exclusive responsibility of the national government to deal with the matter, and that it will do its best with information gathering in cooperation with other parties concerned.

JCP Suwa pointed to the fact that the same type of aircraft had nine accidents including a crash. As the prefectural government has a responsibility of securing residents’ safety, it should clearly express its opposition to the Defense Ministry and the U.S. military about their plan.

In addition, regarding the governor’s plan to invite an aerobatic demonstration team of the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force to the popular Nebuta Festival in Aomori City in August, the JCP members called on Governor Mimura Shingo to withdraw the invitation.

After the representation, Suwa said, “The Abe government is strengthening its move to turn Japan into a war fighting nation. The prefectural government should never support this.”

On the same day, the Tohoku Defense Bureau announced that the first drone is scheduled to arrive at the Misawa base on May 24 followed by the second one on May 28, and they will go into service in early June.

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On May 24, a U.S. Global Hawk, the first surveillance drone deployed to Japan, arrived at the Misawa Base in Aomori Prefecture from Guam.