Marine Dropped Window on Kids

Notorious United States Marine Corps again threatened peaceful life of the people in Okinawa on Wednesday. A heavy-lift transport helicopter CH-53E Sea Stallion, being deployed to Futenma Air Base, dropped its evacuation window onto Second Futenma Elementary School. A boy in his fourth grade was injured, hit by sands and small stones scattered by the landing of window. In spite of definite protest of not only Okinawan government but Shinzo Abe administration, Marine continued its operation of those helicopters.

According to local police office and the school, the CH-53E dropped a window on the left side of cockpit, which would be used for evacuation in emergency. Reinforced with metal frame, the window had the size of 90 centimeters square and the weight of 7.7 kilograms. It touched down on the playground, where the kids were in physical education, as close as 10 meters from the fourth-grade boy.

The elementary school cancelled its all classes of the day and the students got back home with their parents. Vice-Governor of Okinawa Moritake Tomikawa brought Commander of Camp Butler, Lieutenant General Paul Rock, to his office and argued that it was a serious incident threatening right of existence guaranteed by Constitution of Japan. Quoting an incident a year ago, in which MV-22 Osprey fell down on the coast of Nago city, Tomikawa stressed that the people would not rely on US Force only with the effort of inspection.

Abe administration could not defend US Marine this time. “It causes uneasiness of the people in Okinawa and must not have happened,” told Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga in his press conference. Ministry for Foreign Affairs required US Embassy in Japan thorough investigation and preventive measures. Ministry of Defense demanded US Force in Japan stopping the flight of the same type of helicopter.

To fuel broad anger of the residents, US Marine resumed its operation next day, without any report on the investigation to Japanese government. Parents of the students in the elementary school brought their children to the school with fear of another possible accident. A worker in a nursery school found a part of helicopter on the roof of the school building last week. It is supposed to be dropped by a CH-53E having taken off from Futenma Air Base five minutes before. Some news reports indicated that Donald Trump administration did not care about Japan, which would be following US security policy anyway. This kind of incidents may happen again, potentially causing severe damage on the people in Okinawa and Japan-US relationship.