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2012 July 11 - 17 [US FORCES]

If Osprey is deployed, local mayor may no longer support US helipads construction

The mayor of Higashi Village in Okinawa has indicated a possible withdrawal of a municipal decision to accept construction of U.S. military helipads in the village if Osprey aircraft will be deployed there.

The Japanese and U.S. governments in 1996 agreed to build 6 helipads in the Takae district of Higashi Village in exchange for the return of a part of the U.S. Marine exercise fields in northern Okinawa to Japan. In 1999, Higashi Village decided to accept the construction plan.

Residents of the Takae district have continued to engage in a sit-in protest against the helipads construction since 2007.

Higashi Village Mayor Iju Seikyu said that the two governments originally planned to build the helipads for use by CH-46 helicopters, and this was the condition for the village’s decision to accept the plan.

If the condition changes, the municipal government will consider withdrawing its decision, he said.