Is The U.S. Airforce Withdrawing All Their Aircraft From Japan?

Photo: On the front lines: An F-16 fighter jet is serviced at Misawa Air Base in Aomori Prefecture in May 2005. KYODO PHOTO

U.S. Floated Plan To Withdraw Fighter Jets -- Japan Times

Japan stayed silent in light of North Korea, realignment worries.

The U.S. government sounded out Japan in early April about pulling out all of the approximately 40 F-16 fighters from Misawa Air Base in Aomori Prefecture, possibly beginning later this year, sources close to Japan-U.S. relations said Friday.

As part of the ongoing review of the U.S. defense strategy by the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama, the United States at the time also told Japan of an idea to remove some of the more than 50 F-15 fighters at its Kadena Air Base in Okinawa Prefecture, they said.

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My Comment: If true, this is a nice and sneaky way for the U.S. to force Japan to buy U.S. military aircraft as replacements.

Hmmmm ..... F-22s in the pipeline?