ASDF and U.S. Air Force to conduct joint exercise at Hyakuri

   The Air Self-Defense Force and the U.S. Air Force will conduct a four-day joint training exercise starting on January 15 at the ASDF Hyakuri Base, the North Kanto Defense Bureau on January 8 informed Omitama City (Ibaraki Pref.) and other municipalities in the area surrounding the ASDF base.

   F-16 fighter jets stationed at the U.S. Misawa Air Base (Aomori Pref.) will take part in the exercises.

   This training exercise constitutes part of the program to relocate U.S. air exercises from U.S. bases at Misawa, Kadena (Okinawa Pref.), and Iwakuni (Yamaguchi Pref.) to SDF bases throughout the nation in accordance with the Japan-U.S. agreement on the realignment of U.S. forces in Japan. This is the second time for the Hyakuri base to host such joint exercise, following one in October of last year.

   On the same day, the ASDF Hyakuri Base spokesperson announced that a Hyakuri-based F-15 fighter jet dropped a part of its horizontal tail while conducting flight exercises.

   There has been no damage report and the part likely dropped over the ocean, according to the base.

   The ASDF announced that the joint exercise at the Hyakuri Base will be conducted as planned.
- Akahata, January 10, 2008