Osprey Crushes

As concerned before the deployment, a tiltrotor aircraft called MV-22 Osprey, affiliated to United States Marine Corps in Futenma Air Base, crushed on the shallows of Uruma city, Okinawa, in Tuesday night. While no civilian was injured in the incident, the people in Okinawa got furious with a mind of “I told ya.” Careless response of the top leader of U.S. Force in Okinawa fueled their anger. The Government of Japan requested stopping operation of Osprey until the details of the incident will be found.

The aircraft was in an exercise of receiving fuel from an air tanker at the time. According to the announcement of U.S. Force, one propeller cut the tube for fueling, the aircraft became unstable and the pilot made emergency landing avoiding collateral damage on the residential zone. Japanese Minister of Defense, Tomomi Inada, explained that the aircraft did not lose control and voluntarily touched down on the sea. “Very regrettable. Keeping safety is a basis of flying Osprey,” told Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe.

It was the first accident of Osprey, deployed in Okinawa against firm opposition in 2012. The protesters argued that MV-22 Osprey reiterated unexpected troubles and caused thirty deaths with four crushes between 1991 and 2000. However, both governments of Japan and United States did not rethink their plan to deploy Osprey in Futenma Air Base. Japanese government tried to persuade Okinawa that the aircraft would be safer than old type helicopters.

Unfortunate for United States, Lt. General Lawrence Nicholson, III Marine Expedition Force Commander, did not fully understand the history of Osprey in Okinawa. In the meeting of Vice-Governor of Okinawa, Mitsuo Aketa, Nicholson insisted on the effort of pilot avoiding crush on the houses and refused apology about the operation. Aketa announced to the media after the meeting that Nicholson got mad at the protest, hitting table with his hands. “He explicitly treats Okinawa like a colony,” told Aketa.

Even how U.S. Force justifies their operation with their military logic, the people in Okinawa do not accept it as long as “impossible” crush of Osprey matters, because Japanese government kept on appealing that Osprey was safe enough. Announcement of the incident was also inappropriate. U.S. Marine expressed the touch down as an emergency landing. But, the body of crushed Osprey was wholly broken, indicating uncontrollable falling down. Skepticism on treatment of information may cause further complication in the struggle between Japanese government and Okinawa over relocation of Futenma Air Base to Henoko.