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On August 12, the defence subcommittee of the DPJ Policy Research Committee dispatched a research mission to Okinawa to investigate the accident that occurred when a US military helicopter crashed at Camp Hansen, causing the death of one crew member. The mission was led by DPJ Next Minister for Defence Hajime Hirota, and also included Administration Committee Chair Koichi Takemasa and International Department Director General Yuji Fujimoto.
The DPJ mission met with US Consul General Alfred R. Magleby, who was accompanied by Felipe Jimenez, deputy commander of the 18th Mission Support Group at Kadena Air Base. Hirota made the following requests:
・We urge you to carry out thorough investigation to pinpoint the reason for the accident and to speedily release information.
・We urge you to use this as an opportunity to take effective measures to prevent a reoccurrence of such accidents, and to implement more thorough safety management.
・Flights of the same aircraft as was involved in the accident are currently suspended, and we urge you to ensure the safety of local inhabitants to the maximum extent possible when deciding to resume such flights.
・Following this accident, the transfer of Ospreys from Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Iwakuni to MCAS Futemna has been postponed. We believe that this measure is only natural. Considering the strong anxiety of local residents, the transfer should not take place hastily under current circumstances. We urge you to ensure the safety of local inhabitants to the maximum extent possible when operating Ospreys.
In response the American side stated, “A third-party Safety Investigation Board has been established to investigate [the accident] and the results will be published within 45 days.” With regard to the suspension of flights of the same make of aircraft, the following comment was made: “If training is stopped then they will be unable to fulfill their rescue objective. We would like to strike a balance in our response. We will practice information disclosure and information sharing to the best of our ability.”
The DPJ Diet members also met with senior local authority figures and representatives of the Japanese Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defense based in Okinawa. Following the meetings, Hirota commented to reporters: “The DPJ is not opposed to the stationing of Ospreys [on Okinawa] perse, but only one week has passed since the accident, and we are strongly opposed to an approach where something is announced and implemented on the same day. There is also the issue of the slow pace at which information is being communicated.” He expressed the DPJ’s intention of continuing to investigate and to press for action regarding the way in which information is conveyed.
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