Japan Press Weekly

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2011 June 22 - 28 [US FORCES]

Local authorities hostile to FCLP on Mageshima Island

The Japan-U.S. Security Consultative Committee (two plus two) talks on June 21 provoked one city and three town authorities to respond in anger in regard to U.S. aircraft training exercises on Mageshima Island in Kagoshima’s Nishinoomote City.

A joint statement issued by the bilateral foreign and defense ministers specifies the island of Mageshima as a candidate site for field carrier landing practice exercises (FCLP) by the U.S. carrier-borne aircraft.

The island is only 12km from Tanegashima Island where the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has its space center and 40km from the World Natural Heritage island of Yakushima. Military exercises will not only increase the danger of accidents, but will also inevitably undermine the islands’ positive image of unspoiled nature and strong presences of the agricultural, forestry, fisheries, and tourist industries.

The municipalities of Nishinoomote City, Nakatane Town, Minamitane Town, and Yakushima Town soon displayed banners reading, “We are adamantly opposed to the military use of Mageshima Island,” on their townhouse buildings.

The local municipal heads and assembly chairpersons on June 1 visited the Defense Ministry to express their disagreement to the carrying out of FCLP on the island and the abrupt notification on the plan to construct a new Self-Defense Forces base on the island that will be used as a permanent FCLP facility.

Nishinoomote City (Jun.6), Nakatane and Yakushima towns (Jun.14), and Minamitane Town (Jun.15) respectively adopted resolutions in their assemblies opposing the FCLP plan. These local authorities sent a joint letter of protest to Defense Minister Kitazawa Toshimi and Foreign Minister Matsumoto Takaaki.