Stop 'night landing practice' at Atsugi!

The Japanese Communist Party and peace activists on October 21 demanded that the planned touch-and-go exercises by U.S. carrier U.S. air craft carrier Kitty Hawk at the U.S. Naval Air Station Atsugi be canceled.

At the U.S. Atsugi base in Kanagawa Prefecture and the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo, a group of protesters that included a JCP candidate for the Lower House general election, two JCP Dietmembers, and some local assembly members explained how residents are adversely affected by the "night-landing practices".

The U.S. Navy plans to hold the NLP from October 24-27 using the air space over the densely populated areas and deploy the U.S. Navy FA/18 Super Hornet to the base.

Imamura Jun'ichiro representing the protesters' group said, "Touch-and-goes have been carried out even at night and on Sundays in violation of the Japan-U.S. agreement. Such exercises must be stopped immediately."

House of Councilors members Koizumi Chikashi and Hatano Kimie and local assembly members on the same day made representations to the Foreign Ministry.

Since April, when the U.S. invaded Iraq, government offices of Kanagawa prefecture and seven cities surrounding the base have received more than 3,600 calls complaining about the excessive noise.

A protester stressed that the debilitating noise from U.S. military jets often interrupts school classes.

However, an Atsugi Base officer replied, "Exercises must continue as long as the base exists," and a foreign ministry officer insisted, "Drills and deployments are required under the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty," and rejected the petition. (end)