Okinawa authorities have demanded that the US military suspend flights over Japanese schools and hospitals, after two recent incidents involving parts falling off American aircraft, one of which left a child injured.
On Thursday, the Okinawa Prefectural Assembly unanimously adopted the document in protest against the increasing number of incidents with US military aircraft. The resolution says that a feeling of distrust is mounting among Okinawans, as these incidents “vividly illustrate that the US military’s measures to prevent similar accidents are not functioning.”
The document adds that “no more threat to the lives of people in Okinawa should be tolerated,” and will be sent to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and US Ambassador to Japan William Hagerty. Similar resolutions were passed by individual municipal assemblies in Okinawa.
A series of incidents involving US troops has triggered protests on the island and condemnation from citizens and local officials. The latest accident happened on December 13, when an American CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopter lost a metal-framed window while flying over an elementary school adjacent to the US Marine Corps’ Futenma Air Station.
