Ryukyu Shimpo wrote that following the arrival at Kadena AB on March 5 of four CV-22 Ospreys belonging to Yokota AB, the Okinawa prefectural government’s division dealing with U.S. bases made a request to the Defense Ministry’s Okinawa bureau by phone on Monday for the GOJ not to allow the base-hosting burden on Okinawa to grow due to increased training involving Ospreys. According to the prefectural government, Ospreys flew to Kadena 17 times last year and have flown there 5 times so far this year. The prefectural government asserted in its request that the frequency of Osprey landings at Kadena is practically equivalent to the aircraft being deployed there.