U.S. Ospreys to be deployed earlier than planned at Tokyo base amid safety concerns

TOKYO, April 3 (Xinhua) -- Five Air Force CV-22 Osprey aircraft will arrive at Yokota Air Base in the suburbs of Tokyo later this week, U.S. forces in Japan said Tuesday.

Japan's Defense Ministry confirmed the five Osprey aircraft will arrive in Yokohama by ship later Tuesday and according to the U.S. forces, they will conduct exercises around the region for the next few months.

The formal deployment of the controversial tilt-rotor aircraft has been brought forward from fiscal year through September 2020, as was previously planned, to this summer, the U.S. forces said.

Along with the arrival of the aircraft, which can take off and land like a helicopter and fly like a fixed-wing plane, 100 personnel will also arrive ahead of a broader deployment of 10 Ospreys and about 450 personnel to Yokota in the coming years.

The arrival of the Ospreys will likely spark a backlash from residents close to the Yokota base and Japan in general, observers here said, as the turboprop planes are known to have a heavily checkered safety record, which includes a fatal crash occurring off the coast of Australia last year that killed 3 personnel aboard.

The Marine Corps already have Ospreys based in Japan's southernmost prefecture of Okinawa, much to the chagrin of the tiny island's local residents and officials, and the plane's deployment on Japan's mainland will mark the first for the accident-prone aircraft.

Japan's defense and foreign ministry's statement that they will "work together to give maximum consideration to safety and minimize the effects on local communities," will likely fall on deaf ears of those living in the vicinity of the Ospreys' bases, defense analysts said Tuesday, citing safety concerns.

They highlighted the commander of one of the U.S. Marine Corps two MV-22 Osprey squadrons based in Okinawa being fired in February, owing to a loss of trust in his ability to command, with his removal coming as tensions here continue to rise amid a recent spate of accidents and mishaps involving U.S. military aircraft.

Despite the public's ongoing and vehement safety concerns, however, the Japanese government still believes the Osprey's deployment at Yokota will help with domestic and regional stability, its proven unsound performance record, notwithstanding. Enditem