The U.S. Navy plans to deploy the Osprey transport aircraft and the latest F-35C fighters this year at the Iwakuni U.S. military base in Yamaguchi Prefecture, western Honshu, Japan.
According to Kyodo News, Hisashi Matsumoto, chief of the Japanese Defense Ministry, visited the Yamaguchi Prefectural Office and Iwakuni City Hall the previous day and informed local officials that the U.S. Navy would deploy the Osprey and F-35C operated at the Iwakuni base.
The U.S. Air Force operates the Osprey at Yokota Base in Tokyo, and the U.S. Marine Corps operates it at Futenma Airfield in Okinawa Prefecture.
However, this was the first time the U.S. Navy introduced the Osprey to a U.S. military base in Japan.
Matsumoto did not specify how many U.S. Navy Ospreys will be deployed.
It is known that the U.S. Navy plans to deploy the Osprey and F-35C while reorganizing the carrier-based aircraft squadron based at the Iwakuni base.
In Japan in November last year, a U.S. military Osprey belonging to the Yokota base crashed into the sea off southern Kyushu during a flight, causing the death of all eight passengers. After the accident, the U.S. military temporarily suspended the operation of the Osprey.
According to Kyodo News, Yamaguchi Prefecture and Iwakuni City plan to write inquiries to the government about the safety and noise issues of the Osprey.
