Japan Press Weekly

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2012 August 1 - 14 [OKINAWA]

Kadena Town Assembly unanimously adopts resolution protesting US Raptor deployment

Okinawa’s Kadena Town Assembly on August 1 unanimously passed a resolution protesting the deployment of the F-22 Raptor stealth fighters to the U.S. Kadena Air Base.

The U.S. Defense Department had restricted the flight of the F-22 Raptors as pilots had suffered one after another from hypoxia during flights. The problems with the aircraft remains unsolved.

The U.S. Forces on July 28 announced a plan to temporarily deploy 12 Raptors and some 300 staff to the Kadena base for 6 months. So far, 10 of the jet fighters have arrived at the base.

The resolution criticizes the U.S. for deploying the Raptors amid growing anger among Okinawans against the deployment of the problem-ridden U.S. transport aircraft MV-22 Ospreys to the prefecture.

It strongly requests the cancellation of the deployment plan of the Raptors and to remove them from Okinawa. It states, “We feel angry at the Raptors deployment, which is a slap in the face of the residents of Okinawa. We can never accept such an outrageous deployment.”