Japan Press Weekly

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2018 February 21 - 27 [US FORCES]

JCP in Aomori protests dumping of fuel tanks by US military jet

The Japanese Communist Party prefectural organization and prefectural assemblypersons’ group in Aomori on February 21 submitted to Governor Mimura Shingo a petition demanding that the governor lodge a protest with the U.S. military in regard to the dumping of fuel tanks by a U.S. military jet.

The petitioning action took place in reaction to an incident in which a U.S. F-16 fighter jet stationed at the U.S. Misawa base in the prefecture on the previous day dumped two fuel tanks into a lake near the base in response to an engine catching fire. At that time, about 10 freshwater clam-fishing boats were operating on the lake.

In the petition, the JCP also requested that the governor urge the U.S. forces to disclose detailed information regarding the cause of the incident, take measures to prevent a recurrence, and compensate fishermen for damages caused by the dumping incident. In addition, the JCP demanded the flight suspension and removal of all Fighting Falcons.

Meanwhile on this day, Akahata learned that the U.S. military has held flight training exercises of F-16s in defiance of a request for a halt to F-16 flights from the government of Tohoku Town where the lake in question is located.

In response to an Akahata inquiry, a public relations officer at the U.S. Misawa base said that the flight drills are to be carried out as usual. On the day, local residents gathered in front of a gate of the Misawa base to protest against the flight drills.

Akahata also revealed that as of February 22, the Defense Ministry did not make a request to the U.S. military to ground F-16 falcon jets.