Japan Press Weekly

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2015 February 25 - March 3 [US FORCES]

Peace groups in Yamanashi demand cancellation of Osprey flight drills

Peace groups in Yamanashi on February 25 made a representation to the ministries of defense and foreign affairs, demanding the cancellation of the U.S. military’s plan to conduct take-off and landing training exercises of MV-22 Ospreys at the Japanese Self-Defense Forces’ training grounds located at the foot of Mt. Fuji, a World Heritage Site.

The training drills are scheduled to take place at the Ground SDF training areas in Kita-Fuji (Yamanashi Pref.) between February 23 and February 28 and in Higashi-Fuji (Shizuoka Pref.) on March 6 and 7.

In the representation, the groups’ representatives noted that in the flight drills held at the Kita-Fuji and Higashi-Fuji training fields last August, Ospreys repeatedly flew over residential areas at an altitude well below the minimum safe altitude set at 300 meters under Japanese aviation law and the Japan-U.S. agreed-altitude of 150 meters. They urged ministry officials to protest against the violation of the bilateral agreement to the U.S. government.

A Defense Ministry official said that the Osprey flight training drills are necessary for Japan’s security.

Japanese Communist Party parliamentarians joined the representation.

Past related articles:
> Ospreys conduct flight training at World Heritage site of Mt. Fuji [August 21 & 22, 2014]
> Citizens protest against Osprey’s first drill in eastern Japan [August 20, 2014]