TOKYO, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Japanese Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya said on May 24 that the 17 V-22 Osprey transport aircraft planned by the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force, which will be introduced by 2021, will be temporarily deployed at the Kisarazu station in Chiba Prefecture. This decision was strongly opposed by the local population.
Iwaya said on the 24th that it will do its best to shorten the time for the temporary deployment of the Osprey transport aircraft at the Kisarazu station, hoping to gain the understanding of local residents. He also explained that the final deployment site of the 17 Osprey transport aircraft, Saga Airport, even if it agrees to accept it, will take time to improve the equipment.
This decision by japan's Ministry of Defense was strongly opposed by the local residents of Kisarazu. A representative of the Kisarazu Ichi Citizens' Group said that if the Osprey transport aircraft were deployed at the Kisarazu station of the Ground Self-Defense Force, the residents of the low-altitude flight area near the station would be very uneasy, and the Ministry of Defense did not specify the specific period of temporary deployment, which made it impossible to trust.
On the same day, Japanese Vice Minister of Defense Kenji Harada also met with Kisarazu City Mayor Watanabe Yoshibumi on this matter. Watanabe has since told the media that he will decide whether to accept the decision after consultation with the Kisarazu City Council and Chiba Prefecture. Watanabe also said that there are many points in the explanation on security that cannot be accepted and the specific training content is not mastered, and he hopes that the Ministry of Defense will explain further.
According to Japanese media reports, the Kisarazu station is currently the maintenance point for the "Osprey" transport aircraft of the US military stationed in Japan, with a hangar that can park the transport aircraft, and the transport aircraft can reach the Soura station of the "Land and Water Maneuver Regiment" stronghold of the Japanese outlying island defense without refueling halfway.
At one point in August 2018, Saga Prefecture agreed to deploy the Osprey transport aircraft at Saga Airport, but the plan was shelved due to opposition from the local fishing association. At present, it is expected that the Land Self-Defense Force Kisarazu station will begin to deploy the Osprey transport aircraft from the end of March 2020 until Saga Airport fully agrees to accept the deployment of the Osprey transport aircraft.