Japan Press Weekly

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2009 January 7 - 13 [US FORCES]

U.S. F22A Raptor stealth fighters arrive at Kadena

Residents of Kadena Town in Okinawa were angered by the arrival on January 10 of six state-of-the-art U.S. F-22A Raptor stealth fighters at the U.S. Kadena Air Force Base from the U.S. Virginia Air Force Base. An additional six F-22As arrived two days later.

The 12 state-of-the-art aircraft will be deployed at Kadena for three months.

This is the second deployment of F22As at Kadena.

In the previous deployment in February 2007, the U.S. Air Force used Raptors in operational exercise training missions together with its F-15 fighters as well as aircraft from the U.S. Marine Corps and the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force.

Through their intense training exercises for landings and take-offs, including late night and early morning training exercises, Raptors and other warplanes terrified local residents with their sonic booms.

Tanaka Koei, Japanese Communist Party member of the Kadena Town Assembly and chair of the town assembly ad hoc committee on the base issue, monitored Rapcon’s arrival.

He stated, “Townspeople cannot endure any further damages from their training exercises. Their redeployment will only help promote the U.S. military realignment aimed at strengthening the functions of the U.S. Kadena Air Base, which goes against the U.S. promise to ease the local residents’ burden of U.S. military bases. Okinawans cannot continue to endure the ongoing realignment of U.S. forces in Japan.”

The fighters reached Kadena Town amid the assembly elections, which will be held on January 18.

Tanaka said, “We’re campaigning to get the F-22s withdrawn without delay. A victory of anti-base candidates in the election will show the townspeople’s firm determination to have the U.S. air base withdrawn.”