Governor calls for withdrawal of air space over Iwakuni under U.S. control

The Yamaguchi Prefecture governor has promised he would call for the command of airspace over the Chugoku and Shikoku regions in Western Japan to be returned to the prefecture from the U.S.Forces in Japan.

Governor Nii Sekinari said this in answer to Japanese Communist Party member Kume Yoshinori in the prefectural assembly.

Kume said that the existence of the air space reserved exclusively for the U.S. Forces is an infringement of Japan's sovereignty, and endangers commercial flights.

Nii said that as a party of the liaison council of 14 prefectural governors hosting U.S. military bases, he would request the Japanese government and the U.S. Forces in Japan to take steps to dismantle U.S. supremacy of control over air space, especially in cooperation with the governor of Tokyo, which hosts the U.S. Yokota Air Base. (end)