Japan Press Weekly

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2013 February 13 - 19 [US FORCES]

Stop Ospreys’ flight training immediately: JCP Akamine

Japanese Communist Party parliamentarian Akamine Seiken on February 13 in a Lower House budget committee meeting took up an incident in which a water bottle fell out of a U.S. MV-22 Osprey transport aircraft while in flight outside its base, demanding an immediate halt to the aircraft flight training in Japan.

The airplane dropped a water bottle on February 5 on private property in Okinawa’s Ginowan City shortly after it took off from the U.S. Futenma base.

Akamine pointed out that Ospreys in other countries have caused many accidents during their flights such as a crewmember’s fatal fall and the dropping of a bucket filled with cleanser on a private house. “MV-22s fly with their rear hatches opened to ensure full field of vision. It is likely that this kind of accident will happen again,” he said.

The lawmaker also stressed, “To prevent a recurrence, there is no option but to stop the flight exercises and shut down bases adjoining residential areas.”


Related past article:
> Flying Osprey drops water bottle outside base [February 15, 2013]