As Okinawan Islanders Protest Against Additional Osprey Deployment, US Military Helicopter Crashes in Mountain

August 5th was a day symbolic of Okinawa's distressing situation: the dangerous and unbearable presence of US  military bases on the small islands and the equally unbearable attitudes of the US and Japanese governments towards the people of Okinawa.

Protesters and Police at Nodake Gate

At around 7:00 am in the morning, Okinawan islanders began to gather at the Nodake gate of the US Marine Corps Futenma Air Station to protest against the additional deployment of the controversial MV-22 Osprey aircraft to Okinawa.  As the Okinawan summer sun went high up, the protest grew to some 150. The protesters included Okinawa's national diet members Seiken Akamine and Denny Tamaki, prefectural assembly members, and local citizens.

Some protesters stood chest to chest against the local police force, who were dispatched by the Japanese government to keep the flow of traffic in and out of the Futenma Air Station for US military.

In the last few days, the protest at the Nodake gate has become intensified as the US military tries to carry out its second round of MV-22 Osprey deployment (see the Japan Times Article).

On August 3rd, when two additional Osprey aircrafts flew to Futenma from Iwakuni Air Station in Yamaguchi prefecture, a local male protester was arrested for "obstructing police officers in their duties." Suzuyo Takasato, Okinawa's well-known activist on women's issues and military base, suffered a ligament injury to her ankle as she was brought into scuffles with the police.  10 more Ospreys were planned to be deployed to Okinawa on the 5th. The first round of Osprey deployment  took place in September 2012 amidst massive protest.

US Helicopter Crash Site in Ginoza Village

At around 4:00 pm on August 5th, then, a US Air Force HH-60 helicopter crashed in the mountain area of Ginoza Village, about 30 km north of the Futenma Air Station (see The Mainichi article).

The helicopter belongs to and took off from the US Air Force Kadena Air Base, just 10 km away from the Futenma Air Station.  Among the four US military service personnel aboard, three were able to make their emergency escape, while the other was reported to be dead. No local people was injured.

Although the crash site was in the US Marine Corps' Camp Hansen, which encompasses the municipalities of Ginoza, Onna and Kin, it is just 2 km away from the nearest houses and a few kilometers away from the heavily used Okinawa Express Way.

Following the crash, the US Marine Corps decided to temporarily halt the planned deployment of Ospreys to Okinawa at the request of the Japanese government.

As with the previous cases of US military "accidents" and "incidents" in Okinawa, the Japanese government was quick to issue a "regrettable" statement while the  US government and military announced its promise to conduct "extensive investigations" and "share the findings" with Okinawa.

The Japanese mainland media also flocked to the scenes of Futenma and Ginoza (what else would be more "media-esque" than national Diet members doing sit-in protest and a US military aircraft crashing in smoke), repeating the cliche "we have to take the Okinawan issues seriously."

These comments and promises ring as hollow as ever if the Japanese and US governments continue to ignore the simple fact: Okinawa, only 0.6% of Japan's total area and only 1% of Japan's population, bears 74% of the US military presence in Japan and the further militarization of Okinawa is just too much and too dangerous to both Okinawan islanders and the US military.

The military base construction plan at Henoko and Oura Bay, the Heli/Ospreypads construction at Takae, and Osprey Deployment all have to be scrapped. The closure of the Futenma Air Station is a must and urgent.