Japan Press Weekly

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2016 February 10 - 16 [US FORCES]

Tokyoites submit signatures opposing planned deployment of CV-22s to Yokota AB

Residents living near the U.S. Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo submitted to the central government 18,000 signatures on February 12 calling for the cancellation of a plan to deploy CV-22 Ospreys to the base.

In May 2015, Washington told Tokyo that it will deploy 10 CV-22s to the base from late 2017 to 2021. CV-22s, the U.S. Air Force’s tilt-rotor aircraft, are notorious for their extremely high rate of accidents.

The petitioners are members of civic groups seeking the removal of the Yokota base and plaintiff groups fighting court battles over the noise pollution caused by the U.S. forces in the region. On that day, they visited the Defense and Foreign ministries.

In response to the representations, ministry officials said that they have no intent to ask the U.S. government to reconsider the deployment plan, referring to the need to strengthen the Japan-U.S. military alliance.

When the protesters urged the officials to show the details of the planned training exercises at the base in accordance with the U.S. military’s Environmental Review, they only replied that they have no information about the drills.

Ono Yoshikazu, a leader of the plaintiffs, insisted that the Japanese government should push its U.S. counterpart to abandon the deployment plan in order to ensure the safety of local residents.

Another participant said, “Even now, we are suffering from the deafening noises of 14 C-130 cargo planes stationed at the Yokota base. It’s absolutely unacceptable to place 10 Ospreys at the same military facility.”

Past related article:
> 26 US fighters fly to Yokota AB, largest number since Vietnam War [January 22 & 23, 2016]