(Asahi: May 21, 2015 – p. 29)

 In light of the recent crash of a MV-22 Osprey during training in Hawaii, the liaison group on base issues of municipalities near the Yokota base sent a petition to the ministers of foreign affairs and defense and the director general of the North Kanto Defense Bureau on May 20, asking them to demand that the U.S. forces investigate the cause of the accident, come up with measures to prevent the recurrence of such accidents, and provide accurate information.

 The petition said: “This accident occurred right after the plan to deploy CV-22 Ospreys on the Yokota base was announced. It has aggravated the local residents’ concerns about the Ospreys’ safety.”