Monday’s Tokyo Shimbun led with data provided by Marine Corps that apparently pointed to a decline in the safety record of the MV-22 Osprey. Class A mishaps involving the tilt-rotor aircraft occurred 3.44 times per 100,000 flight hours during the period from October 2011 through September 2016, as opposed to 1.93 times from October 2003 to April 2012. The paper quoted a USMC spokesperson as saying: “There is no noteworthy change in the safety and reliability of the Osprey since its mishap rate is not much different from that of other planes operated by the Marines.” The daily underscored the latest statistics contradict the GOJ’s explanation made ahead of the Osprey deployment at MCAS Futenma in October 2012 that the aircraft has been proven to be safe as evidenced by its low mishap rate.