Japan Press Weekly

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2013 August 21 - 27 [SDF]

Peace activists call for cancelation of Japan-US joint military drill using Ospreys

A peace group in Shiga Prefecture on August 23 made a representation to the Self-Defense Forces’ camp to demand that U.S. MV-22 Osprey aircraft not be used in a Japan-U.S. joint military exercise scheduled for October.

The representation was made in response to the news report that the SDF and the U.S. Forces Japan are planning to use the tilt-rotor military aircraft in their joint military drill planned to be held at the Ground SDF Aibano Training Area in Takashima City, Shiga Prefecture.

In their written request submitted to SDF Camp Imazu on that day, members of the Aibano liaison council of peace movements also demanded that the exercise itself be cancelled.

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The Defense Ministry on August 24 announced that it seeks to equip the Ground SDF with the Osprey as early as in FY 2015.

The ministry last month issued an interim report for new defense program guidelines which the cabinet plans to publish by the end of this year. The report states that the SDF should have the same military capability as the U.S. Marine Corps. The announcement is in line with this goal, indicating a possible risk that the SDF will be turned into troops to invade other nations.