美國在沖縄縣部署垂直升降運輸機

Recently the FNN on-line reported the following:

沖縄県のアメリカ軍普天間基地に配備予定の垂直離着陸輸送機「オスプレイ」をめぐり、アメリカ軍基地のある14都道県の知事会が27日、森本防衛相に対して、事故原因の究明や地元への説明などを求める申し入れを行った。

会長を務める神奈川県の黒岩知事は、オスプレイが安全性の確認がされないまま山口県の岩国基地へ一時的に陸揚げされたことを非難したうえで、事故原因の究明や、再発防止策の提示、地元への説明などを求めた。
これに対し、森本防衛相は、26日から始まった日米合同委員会でのオスプレイの運用に関する協議などについて説明した。
このあと森本防衛相は、在日アメリカ軍司令官に就任したアンジェレラ氏と会談し、この中でオスプレイに言及し、「日米間でスムーズに、かつ日本国民の安心を確保できるように受け入れられるかという問題に直面している」と述べた。
アンジェレラ司令官は、情報提供や視察などでの協力を約束し、「訓練や運用における安全性を確認いただきたい」と述べた。

(試譯文)
On the 27th (July) the meeting of governors from 14 prefecture and county administrative regions that had offered U.S. Forces base asked the Defense Minister Morimoto to investigate the cause of the accident and to explain it to the local etc. involving the vertical-take-off-and-landing transport plane "Osprey" which was due to be deployed in Futenma U.S. Air Forces Station in Okinawa Prefecture.

Governor Kuroiwa of the Kanagawa Prefecture who served as the chairman blamed their temporary landing at Iwakuni Air Base in the Yamaguchi prefecture without safety checks being carried out. Afterwards he requested an investigation of the Osprey, and asked for the cause of the accident and a presentation on measures to prevent the recurrence etc, and giving an explanation to the local.

In that respect, starting from the 26th Defense Minister Morimoto at a Japan-U.S. Joint Committee explained the agreements etc. over the employment of the Osprey

After this Defense Minister Morimoto conferred with Mr. Angelella who had inaugurated as the U.S. Forces commander in Japan, the Osprey was mentioned. It was said that " to be accepted smoothly among Japan and the U.S., he is facing the problem of whether that Japanese confidence can be secured."

Commander Angelella promised cooperation in information dissemination and inspection etc., and he said that "I would like to confirm its safety in training or employment."

The “Osprey” is a US transport plane that can perform vertical take-off and landing. Its deployment at Okinawa would boost the transportation capacity of Japanese troops.