Okinawa Times reported on the disclosure by an Okinawa Prefectural Assembly member that the USFJ headquarters has refused to accept a motion of protest that was adopted on Tuesday by the assembly against the recent incident in which a component fell from a Futenma-based Osprey and washed up on the shore of Ikei Island. The USFJ reportedly explained that although it had accepted such resolutions and requests until 2015, it no longer accepts them. According the paper, the USFJ headquarters said, “We are responding to resolutions and requests from other prefectures in the same way. If they are delivered to the U.S. Embassy or MOFA, they will be delivered to the USFJ headquarters.”

Prefectural Assembly members are reportedly displeased with the USFJ’s response, underscoring that they need to check with the USFJ headquarters directly to find out if proper maintenance is being performed on U.S. military aircraft in the prefecture.