August 3, 2026

A map showing the airspace designated for nationwide, low-altitude flight training by the Ground Self-Defense Force’s V-22 Osprey aircraft has been revealed.

According to the map recently submitted by the Ministry of Land (MLIT) to Japanese Communist Party Executive Committee Chair Tamura Tomoko, the 2026 training airspace includes nearly the entire vicinity of Naha Airport (Okinawa Pref.) and densely populated areas, such as city and town halls of municipalities around the airport.

Last August, the GSDF completed the transfer of all 17 V-22s which had been provisionally deployed at the JGSDF Camp Kisarazu (Kisarazu City, Chiba Pref.) to the JGSDF Camp Saga or Saga Airport (Saga City, Saga Pref.), and then conducted V-22 training mainly at its camps and training grounds in Kyushu.

The Ministry of Defense in July announced its policy to expand SDF training exercises nationwide. The V-22 low-altitude flight training plan revealed this time is part of that policy.

Japan’s minimum safe altitude is 300 meters above the tallest obstacle in densely populated areas and 150 meters in other locations. Article 81 of the Civil Aeronautics Act requires MLIT permission for flights below the minimum safe altitude.

Low-altitude flight training involves flying below this minimum, which could significantly impact the daily lives and safety of nearby residents.

A GSDF Osprey in October 2024 lost full control and made an unintentional contact with the ground. However, no detailed accident investigation report has been released yet. The expansion of the flight training airspace will inevitably raise concerns among residents living beneath it.

The GSDF is planning to conduct training at 20 locations, including at camps, training grounds, and areas surrounding SDF-civilian joint-use airports in eastern Japan, the Tokai region, Shikoku, Kyushu, and Okinawa. At Naha Airport, the plan designates the two runways and the apron as a training zone. Osprey flights to this airport may become a regular occurrence in the future.

At JGSDF Camp Kisarazu, home to an Osprey maintenance facility, a large area above densely populated areas, including the city hall and railway stations, will be a designated training zone.

The JGSDF Asaka Training Area, which spans Tokyo and Saitama and is bordered on three sides by schools and residential areas, will also be a training zone. Furthermore, the runway there will serve as a designated emergency landing site.

At Tokunoshima Airport (Amagi Town, Kagoshima Pref.) and Tokushima Airfield (Matsushige Town, Tokushima Pref.), the airspace above the town halls of both municipalities will also be V-22 training airspace.