Okinawa Assembly demands Osprey pullout

The Okinawa Prefectural Assembly  has unanimously adopted a resolution demanding the pullout of the controversial MV-22 Osprey aircraft now deployed at Futenma Marine Corps Air Station in Ginowan City.

Citing fears among local residents about possible accidents, the resolution said, “Who will take responsibility and in what way if the aircraft crashes in a downtown area?”
On Monday, six of the 12 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft temporarily stationed at the U.S. Marine Corps’ Iwakuni base in Yamaguchi Prefecture, western Japan, arrived at Futenma. Three more arrived on Tuesday, and the remaining three planes will move to Futenma later.

The MCAS Futenma is located in a densely populated area of Ginowan. The 12 Ospreys were transported to MCAS Iwakuni from the United States in late July.   A group of Okinawa Prefectural Assembly members are set to lodge their protests against the Osprey deployment with the Defense Ministry’s Okinawa Defense Bureau and the Foreign Ministry’s Okinawa office.

Local concerns about the safety of the Osprey are growing in the wake of a series of crashes involving the vertical takeoff and landing aircraft.