Okinawans Continue To Push For U.S. Military Base Closure

The Intercept: As Taiwan Tensions Build, Concerned Okinawans Push for U.S. Military Base Closure

Bill Clinton promised to close the base in 1996. But plans for more construction and a heightened focus on the Pacific put the islands and their unique biodiversity at risk indefinitely. 

One April afternoon in Tokyo, the U.S. president made a welcome promise to reduce his military’s presence in Okinawa. Three U.S. service members had raped a 12-year-old Okinawan girl the previous September, and enraged locals had spent months protesting the Japanese prefecture’s dense network of U.S. bases. 

“When the Prime Minister asked us to consider the concerns of the people of Okinawa and I became acquainted with them, as a result of some of the unfortunate incidents that you know well about,” said President Bill Clinton, standing side by side with Japanese Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto, in the April 1996 speech, “it bothered me that these matters had not been resolved before now, before this time.” His administration agreed to close the Futenma Air Station, a major Marine Corps base in the populous Okinawan city of Ginowan, within five to seven years.  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: With Chinese tensions being what they are, there will be no US military departure from Okinawa for the foreseeable future.

Japan Marks The 75th Anniversary Of The End Of The Battle Of Okinawa

DW: Japan marks 75th anniversary of the end of Battle of Okinawa

More than 200,000 people died in the battle for Okinawa. The US has maintained a heavy military presence on the island since WWII, with the base highly unpopular with the locals and yet of crucial importance to Tokyo.

People on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa commemorated the 75th anniversary of the end of the WWII battle for the island on Tuesday.

More than 240,000 people died in the three-month battle of 1945, including 150,000 civilians, 77,000 Japanese soldiers, and 14,000 Americans, among others. It was the bloodiest battle in the Pacific War.

Unlike most other battles in the Pacific Theater, Okinawa was not evacuated and Okinawan people suffered immensely from both sides.

Many of the civilian deaths came from the forced drafting of locals by the Japanese Imperial Army, from forced suicides and from indiscriminate killing by US soldiers. More than 90% of the buildings on the island were destroyed

Read more ....

Update #1: Japanese island marks 75 years since Battle of Okinawa (AP)
Update #2: Okinawa marks 75 years since end of fierce World War II battle (Japan Times)

WNU Editor: This is sobering .... More than 240,000 people died in the three-month battle of 1945, including 150,000 civilians, 77,000 Japanese soldiers, and 14,000 Americans, among others. It was the bloodiest battle in the Pacific War. I have always believed that the bloodshed from this battle is what probably drove President Truman to drop the atomic bombs 6 weeks later.

Here is a good description of the battle of Okinawa .... 75 years ago, the US's largest invasion in the Pacific may have prevented an even bigger fight with the Japanese (Business Insider).

Okinawans Vote Overwhelmingly Against Relocating U.S. Futenma Base To Henoko

The Guardian: Okinawa rejects new US military base but Abe likely to press on

Tokyo sees controversial plan for new base at Henoko as key to US security alliance

Voters on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa have rejected the controversial relocation of a US military base in a referendum, according to local media, but the result is likely to be ignored by the prime minister, Shinzo Abe.

Kyodo news agency said its projection based on exit polls indicated that more than a quarter of Okinawa’s 1.16 million eligible voters had opposed the plan: a threshold that requires the island’s governor, Denny Tamaki, to “respect” its outcome. The public broadcaster NHK said a majority of voters had come out against the move supported by the Japanese and US governments.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: The vote was 70% against the base being relocated .... Over 70% of voters reject US base transfer in Okinawa referendum (Mainichi).

More News On Okinawa Voting Overwhelmingly Against Relocating The U.S. Futenma Base To Henoko

Japan to push ahead with U.S. base relocation despite Okinawa referendum result -- Reuters
More than 70% in Okinawa vote no to relocation of U.S. Futenma base to Henoko -- Japan Times
Japan's Okinawa votes against controversial US base move -- AFP
Japanese voters reject plans to move controversial US base -- DW
In Japan's Okinawa, voters deliver a resounding no to new U.S. military base -- The Washington Post
Okinawans reject US base transfer with large turnout -- Nikkei Asian Review

Japan Starts Building A Sea Wall For The New U.S. Base In Okinawa

The construction site for a U.S. military base off the Henoko district of Nago, Okinawa Prefecture (Shinosuke Ito)

Japan Times: Japanese government starts building sea wall for new U.S. base in Okinawa's Henoko

NAHA, OKINAWA PREF. - The government began constructing a new sea wall Monday in Okinawa as part of a controversial plan to relocate a U.S. military base within the prefecture, the local defense bureau has said.

The move is expected to draw fresh backlash from the Okinawa Prefectural Government, which has persistently opposed the Japan-U.S. plan to move U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma from the crowded residential area of Ginowan to the less populated coastal zone of Henoko in Nago.

Under the plan, some 157 hectares of land will be reclaimed to construct a V-shaped runway.

The sea wall, which will be 135 meters long and located on one side of the planned landfill site, is the eighth area in which the central government has started construction work.

The move came after a meeting of experts assessing the environmental impact of the base relocation concluded last Tuesday that the fresh work would not affect corals inhabiting the area.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: This new base is going to be very expensive .... Okinawa says new base to cost 10 times what Tokyo estimated (Asahi Shimbun).

U.S. To Hold "First-Ever" Missile Drills On Japan's Okinawa

The Ryukyu Islands, as seen on a map at the Pacific Aviation Museum at Pearl Harbor. Samurai Wiki

SCMP/AFP: US plans to conduct first missile drill near divisive Okinawa base, countering China’s ballistic weapons

* The drill would reportedly involve a mobile rocket launcher seen as a countermeasure to potential attacks from Chinese surface-to-sea ballistic missiles
* China’s military build-up has unnerved Asian neighbours, with Japan’s defence chief last year saying China was ‘unilaterally escalating’ activities

The US military will this year conduct its first missile drill around the Japanese island of Okinawa, according to a report on Thursday, as Washington seeks to counter an increasingly assertive China.

The US military has told its Japanese counterpart it plans to deploy surface-to-ship missiles in the strategically important Okinawa this year for the first such drill by Japan’s key ally, the Sankei reported, without citing sources.

The drill would involve a mobile rocket launcher seen as a countermeasure to potential attacks from Chinese surface-to-sea ballistic missiles, the paper said.

Read more ....

Update: US To Hold "First-Ever" Missile Drill On Japan's Okinawa (Zero Hedge)

WNU Editor: This is all about sending a message to China, and a reminder to China that Okinawa does not belong to them .... China Wants Okinawa (January 1, 2016).

U.S. Marine’s Son Elected Governor In Okinawa Running Against U.S. Base Relocation

Danny Tamaki, the son of a U.S. Marine and Japanese mother, raises his hands with supporters in celebration after he was elected in gubernatorial election in Naha, on the Japanese southern island of Okinawa, in this photo taken by Kyodo September 30, 2018. Kyodo via REUTERS

Reuters: Son of U.S. marine elected Okinawa governor on anti-U.S. base platform

TOKYO (Reuters) - Danny Tamaki, the son of a U.S. Marine and Japanese mother, was elected governor of Japan’s Okinawa island on Sunday on an anti-U.S military presence platform, defeating a candidate backed by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s ruling bloc, domestic media reported.

Tamaki defeated Atsushi Sakima who ran with the support of Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party and its junior coalition partner, NHK and Kyodo news agency said.

Public broadcaster NHK showed a jubilant Tamaki and his supporters cheering and dancing after news of his victory.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: There is going to be no changes (at least in the short to medium term) .... Whatever the result in Okinawa election, US troops are there to stay (Washington Post/SCMP).

More News On Today's Election In Okinawa

Candidate pledging to resist new US military base wins Okinawa election, defeating ruling party’s preferred choice -- SCMP/AP
US Marine’s son wins office in Okinawa running against base relocation -- The Hill
Opponent of U.S. military bases wins Okinawa gubernatorial election -- Washington Post
Anti-US base candidate wins Okinawa governor elections -- RT

73 Years Ago Today On Easter Sunday The Battle For Okinawa Began

Hans A. von Spakovsky, Daily Signal: Another Reason to Remember the Easter and Passover Weekend

As we celebrate Easter Sunday and the Jewish Passover, we should keep in our prayers and remembrances the many Americans who fought and sacrificed during that same time 73 years ago in the Battle of Okinawa.

The event was Operation Iceberg. It was the bloodiest battle and the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific Theater of World War II.

On Easter Sunday, April 1, 1945, the Navy’s Fifth Fleet under Admiral Raymond Spruance attacked the Japanese-held island. They were joined by a British, Canadian, New Zealand, and Australian naval task force and more than 180,000 Army soldiers and Marines. This was the final push toward invading mainland Japan and putting an end to the war.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: Wikipedia has a good post on this battle .... Battle of Okinawa (Wikipedia).

Japan May Deploy Anti-Ship Missiles On Okinawa

Franz-Stefan Gady, The Diplomat: Japan Mulls Deployment of Anti-Ship Missiles on Okinawa

Amid a growing Chinese naval presence, Japan is considering additional steps to protect Miyako Strait.

The Japanese government is considering deploying surface-to-ship missile systems to the main island of Okinawa prefecture to strengthen Japan’s defense posture in response to China’s growing maritime assertiveness in the region, local media reported on February 27.

By deploying anti-ship missiles on Okinawa’s main island, the Japanese Ministry of Defense (MoD) thinks it can cover the entire Miyako Strait, located between the islands of Miyako, about 170 kilometers (105 miles) from the disputed Senkakus, and Okinawa. The strait is one of the principal gateways for the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) to the Pacific Ocean.

The Japan Self-Defense Force already plans to station anti-ship missiles on the island of Miyako in Okinawa prefecture, as well as Amami-Oshima and Ishigaki islands. Anti-ship missile units might also deploy to Yonaguni Island, part of Okinawa prefecture in the East China Sea, where Japan installed a permanent new radar station in 2016.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: Anti-ship missiles on Okinawa will definitely help Japan assert its claims in the region.

All U.S. Service Members On The Japanese Island Of Okinawa Are Restricted To Base And Prohibitied From Drinking Alcohol After Fatal Drunk Driving Accident

ABC News: US service members restricted to base, alcohol prohibited after deadly crash in Okinawa

The U.S. 7th Fleet ordered that all U.S. service members on the Japanese island of Okinawa be restricted to base and to their residences and prohibited their consumption of alcohol after a deadly crash involving a U.S. Marine.

A U.S. Marine whom police say had a blood-alcohol content three times the legal level was allegedly involved in an accident on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa that left a 61-year-old Japanese man dead.

The unidentified Marine was driving a truck that collided with a small truck at an intersection early Sunday morning in Naha, the main city in Okinawa, police said.

The 7th Fleet said its directive was "effective immediately," and included residences as well as "public locations."

Read more ....

More News On U.S. Troops In Japan Banned From Drinking Or Leaving Their Bases After Fatal Crash

U.S. military on Okinawa confined to bases after fatal crash -- NBC
U.S. military bans troops in Japan from drinking alcohol after fatal Okinawa accident -- USA Today
U.S. marine accused of drunk driving after Japanese man dies in crash -- Reuters
U.S. Military in Japan Banned From Drinking Alcohol, Can't Leave Base After Deadly Crash Angers Locals -- Newsweek
U.S. troops in Japan banned from drinking after fatal crash -- FOX News
US military again bans alcohol, restricts personnel to base after fatal Okinawa drink-drive crash -- RT

The U.S. Presence In Okinawa Continues To Be Unresolved

Grant Newsham, Asia Times: US Marines and Okinawa: Enough exasperation to go around

Okinawa is host to more than half of the 47,000 US troops stationed in Japan and opposition to the military presence has grown among residents.

US Marine Corps Commandant, General Robert Neller’s recent comments about re-thinking the plan to move 9,000 Marines to Guam and Hawaii from Okinawa no doubt exasperated Japan’s government.

However, there’s been plenty of exasperation to go around over the last 20 years when it comes to the US Marines and Okinawa.

(Note: Okinawa is host to more than half of the 47,000 US troops stationed in Japan and opposition to the military presence has grown among residents.)

Japan has promised repeatedly since 1996 to do the necessary to resolve the Okinawa opposition to US bases by moving the Marines’ Futenma Air Station to a quieter part of the island. The failure to do so was exasperating, though it happened often enough to get used to it.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: Being one who has spent a lot of time in Asia .... I understand this sense of "exasperation". You have to adopt the word "patience" if you want to maintain your sanity.

U.S. Returns 10,000 Acres Of Okinawa To Japan

US Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy (C) delivers a speech among Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (R) and US Forces Japan commander Lieutenant General Jerry P. Martinez (L) during a joint announcement on the return of American military to the island of Okinawa at the Abe's official resident in Tokyo on December 21, 2016. REUTERS/Toshfumi Kitamura

US News And World Report: U.S. Returning Okinawa Land to Japan

Recent scandals have tarnished the U.S. military’s reputation on Okinawa, where there is fierce local resistance to its presence.

The United States is returning over 9,000 acres of land on Okinawa to the Japanese government, acreage it has held since the conclusion of World War II.

The move is the largest return of land since 1972 and comes amid long-standing controversy over the U.S. military presence on the southern Japanese island, heightened by a string of crimes that includes the murder of a 20-year-old Japanese woman earlier this year. A former U.S. Marine was arrested and charged in the case.

Read more ....

More News On The U.S. Returning 10,000 Acres Of Okinawa To Japan

U.S. returns some land on Japan's Okinawa, largest transfer since '72 -- Reuters
U.S. Returns Largest Tract of Okinawa Land to Japan in 44 Years -- Bloomberg
US returns land it's controlled since WWII to Japan amid local anger -- CNN
U.S. return of Okinawa training area faces harsh criticism from local residents -- Japan Times

U.S. returns 10,000 acres of Okinawa to Japan -- UPI
United States military green lights biggest land return on Okinawa since 1972 -- South China Morning Post

Thousands On Okinawa Protest The U.S. Military Presence On The Island

New York Times: At Okinawa Protest, Thousands Call for Removal of U.S. Bases

TOKYO — Tens of thousands of people on the Japanese island of Okinawa gathered on Sunday to demand the removal of American military bases in what organizers said was the largest demonstration against the United States presence there in two decades.

The protest, in Naha, the capital of Okinawa Prefecture, was billed as a memorial for a 20-year-old woman who was found dead last month. A United States Marine veteran who was working as a civilian contractor on the island has been arrested in connection with the killing, prompting a public outcry.

Organizers said that 65,000 people attended the Sunday protest. That would make it the largest demonstration since 1995, when two American Marines and a Navy sailor were arrested over the rape of a 12-year-old girl, an episode that shook the tight military alliance between the United States and Japan and is still bitterly remembered by many Okinawans.

Read more ....

More News On Today's Protests On Okinawa

Massive Protest on Okinawa Opposes US Military After Killing -- AP
Thousands protest U.S. bases on Okinawa after Japan woman's murder -- Reuters
Protesters Rally Against US Military on Okinawa -- AFP
Tens of thousands gather to protest US military presence on Japanese island -- FOX News
Protesters gather for anti-US military rally in Okinawa -- BBC
Japan’s Okinawa Sees Massive Protests Against US Military Bases After Woman’s Murder -- IBTimes
Thousands protest US military presence on Okinawa -- DW
Thousands protest at US bases on Okinawa after Japanese woman's murder -- The Guardian
One of biggest protests in 2 decades: Over 50,000 Okinawans gather for anti-US military rally -- RT
PHOTOS: Thousands Protest Against U.S. Military Presence In Okinawa, Japan -- NPR

Okinawa And The U.S. Military

New York Times: Okinawa Murder Case Heightens Outcry Over U.S. Military’s Presence

OKINAWA, Japan — Memorial Day weekend is normally party time on Gate Street, a seedy strip of bars and clubs outside a giant United States Air Force base here.

During this year’s holiday, though, Gate Street was all but deserted, its customers — young Americans from the military installations that blanket much of this southern Japanese island — barred by their superiors from partying in public.

The reason: a recent murder that has angered Okinawans and damaged relations between Tokyo and Washington.

The killing of the 20-year-old Okinawan woman, whose body was found decomposing in a suitcase last month, has been linked to an American military contractor who is a Marine veteran. The outcry after the man, Kenneth Franklin Shinzato, was arrested on May 19 has been so strong that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe protested publicly to President Obama during the president’s recent trip to Japan.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: These crimes do cause a problem. But Okinawa is recognized by both Japan and the U.S. to be a critical component in both country's national defense .... and while the outcry and protests will continue, the policy itself is not going to change.

Japan Halts U.S. Base Construction On Okinawa

IBTimes: Japan To Halt US Okinawa Base Relocation Work But Government Says Plan Intact

Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed Friday to temporarily suspend work on the relocation of a U.S. Marine Corps base on Japan’s southern Okinawa island, reportedly saying he wants to end the dispute with the island’s government and residents, who want the base moved off the island. The government in Tokyo wants to move the airbase to another, less populated location on the island.

The base is currently at Futenma, a densely populated urban area, and Tokyo was working on reclaiming land offshore Camp Schwab — another U.S. base on Okinawa, in Henoko — where it would eventually relocate the airbase.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: It looks like this decision was made based on politics .... Summer polls linked to Okinawa base truce (Japan Times). More here .... Shinzo Abe and Okinawa’s Governor to Resume Talks on U.S. Base (NYT).

More News On Japan Halting U.S. Base Construction On Okinawa

Japan PM Suspends Work on US Base on Okinawa, Agrees to Talk -- AP
Japan to suspend work on relocating U.S. base in Okinawa -- Reuters
Japan PM Abe halts US base construction in Okinawa for now -- AFP
Japan halts US Okinawa base expansion -- BBC
Japanese Prime Minister Agrees to Suspend Okinawa Base Move -- Military.com/Stars and Stripes
Japan PM suspends work on U.S. base on Okinawa -- USA Today

U.S. Admits That Nuclear Weapons Were Stored At Okinawa During The Cold War

Members of a U.S. Air Force unit prepare to mount a nuclear weapon on a fighter aircraft in Kadena Air Base in Okinawa on Oct. 23, 1962. This photo was found in the National Archives and Records Administration of the United States. (Provided by the National Security Archive)

The Asahi Shimbun: Photos of nuclear weapons in Okinawa found in U.S. national archives

A U.S. think tank has found photos of nuclear weapons in Okinawa in the 1960s when the island was under U.S. rule.

The National Security Archive (NSA) discovered three photos in the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).

“It is probably the first time (that photos of nuclear weapons taken in Okinawa before it was returned to Japan in 1972 were found in archival material),” said Masaaki Gabe, a professor of international political science at the University of the Ryukyus, who is well versed in U.S. archives related to Okinawa.

Read more ....

More News On The U.S. Admiting That Nuclear Weapons Were Stored At Okinawa During The Cold War

US military kept nukes on Okinawa -- AFP
“Fact of” Nuclear Weapons on Okinawa Declassified -- FAS
U.S. declassifies Okinawa N-weapon storage -- Japan News
We knew it but now it's confirmed: Nuclear Weapons on Okinawa Declassified -- HNN
In first, U.S. admits nuclear weapons were stored in Okinawa during Cold War -- Japan Times

Okinawa Governor Suspends US Military Base Construction

The Yomiuri Shimbun

CSM: Defying Toyko, Okinawa suspends US military base construction

The relocation of a US Marine Corps base on the island is aimed at removing a longstanding irritant in US-Japan relations. Tokyo backs the relocation plan, but the view in Okinawa is less positive.

The governor of Okinawa has ordered a halt to construction of a controversial new United States military base on the southern Japanese island, the latest setback in a long-running row over the US military presence there.

Gov. Takeshi Onaga demanded that Japan's government suspend all work at the site after local officials discovered that concrete blocks – used in underwater drilling surveys – had damaged coral reefs.

More News On Okinawa's Governor Suspending US Military Base Construction

Okinawa governor halts work on U.S. military base -- UPI
Okinawa Governor Orders a Halt to Work on US Military Airfield -- NYT
Okinawa orders halt to work related to US base relocation -- Washington Post/AP
Okinawa Triggers New Row Over Relocation of ‘Critical’ U.S. Base -- Bloomberg
Okinawa governor blocks controversial US marine base -- The Guardian
Japanese row over US island base move deepens -- Al Jazeera
Japan's Okinawa Requests to Shut Down US Marine Base Construction -- Sputnik
Okinawa Governor Orders Halt to US Base Relocation -- VOA
Okinawa Military-Base Relocation Sees Further Delay -- WSJ
Okinawa gov. orders halt to seabed survey -- Japan news/Jiji Press

U.S. Restart Efforts To Move the Marines From Okinawa To Guam

US Restarts Efforts To Move Okinawa Marines To Guam -- Stars and Stripes

CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — The U.S. military restarted efforts this week to build up Guam for the planned relocation of about 5,000 Okinawa Marines, a key piece in the stalled plan to realign forces in the Pacific region and reduce tensions in Japan.

The Navy was showing Guamanians proposed locations for controversial Marine live-fire training ranges and housing during town hall-style meetings and said it will make a final decision on the laydown of the new facilities after a two- to three-year environmental study.

Read more ....

My Comment: The people from Okinawa will not be sorry to see the Americans leave. But from a defense and national security standpoint .... the US Marines will now be an additional 1200 miles away from trouble spots like South Korea and Taiwan.

Expect More Anti-Americanism In Okinawa

Okinawa Gov. Hirokazu Nakaima answers questions at the prime minister's official residence in Tokyo on Wednesday.

Japanese Officials Angry After 2 U.S. Sailors Arrested In Okinawa Rape Case -- CNN

Tokyo (CNN) -- Japanese officials expressed outrage after two U.S. sailors were arrested over accusations that they raped a woman on the island of Okinawa, where the American military presence has generated long-simmering resentment.

Defense Minister Satoshi Morimoto on Wednesday called the alleged rape "vicious and mean" and said Japanese authorities were lodging protests with the U.S. government and military, as well as demands for better preventive measures.

Read more ....

My Comment: This is going to up the pressure in Japan to curtail or minimize the US presence .... but considering how hostile China has been towards Japanese land claims in the region .... this criminal case will be shunted to the proper legal authorities and the uproar will pass.

How Many Marines Do We Still Need In Japan?

Solving the Okinawa Problem -- Mike Mochizuki and Michael O'Hanlon, Foreign Policy

How many Marines do we still need in Japan?

In recent weeks the U.S. Marine Corps has begun to deploy the V-22 Osprey to Okinawa, Japan. The Osprey flies like a propeller plane but can take off and land like a helicopter, providing more speed than the latter but more tactical flexibility than the former. It has also reignited the long-standing debate between Japan and the United States over the future of the Marines' presence on Okinawa. Critics have called the airplane unsafe and demanded its redeployment back to the United States. While flight data do not confirm this specific allegation, policymakers in Tokyo and Washington do need to realize they have an even bigger problem -- and search for a new, less intrusive way of basing Marines on this small island at the southern end of the Japanese archipelago.

Read more ....

My Comment: If it was not for China rising, and territorial disputes escalating .... the issue of U.S. troops will be moot .... there will only be a small and insignificant U.S. presence. But .... global economics/wealth/and future development will be focused primarily in Asia in the next few decades. A U.S. presence is all but certain .... especially when much of our future economic well being is now becoming dependent on stability and co-existence in this part of the world. My prediction .... the U.S. military presence will stay the same, but there will be greater US Navy activity in the surrounding waters.

100,000 Protest In Okinawa over U.S. Osprey Deployment

Hybrid: A U.S. Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey flies in hover mode in this undated file photo. KYODO

Japanese Protest 'Defective' U.S. Aircraft -- UPI

OKINAWA, Japan, Sept. 9 (UPI) -- Thousands of Japanese protesters in Okinawa marched Sunday against the deployment of U.S. Osprey helicopters they consider unsafe.

The demonstrators allege the MV-22 Osprey dual-rotor helicopters are a risk to military members and civilians on the ground because of a history of crashes, the military Stars and Stripes news agency reported.

Most recently, a Marine Corps Osprey was forced into an emergency landing Friday in North Carolina because of an oil leak.

Japanese protesters allege the Osprey is fundamentally flawed and shouldn't be deployed over Japan.

Read more: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2012/09/09/Japanese-protest-defective-US-aircraft/UPI-74451347207135/#ixzz261gwqNFc

Read more ....

More News On Japanese Protests Against The U.S. deployment Of The MV-22 Osprey

Thousands rally against US deployment of Osprey aircraft on Japan’s Okinawa island -- Washington Post/AP
Tens of thousands protest Osprey deployment plan to Okinawa -- Stars and Stripes
Over 100,000 protest in Okinawa against U.S. Osprey aircrafts -- Japan Daily Press/UPI
Still No Luck for the V-22 in Japan -- Time