2016年12月16日金曜日

「 オスプレイ墜落 海兵隊撤退しかない 訓練場返還式典は中止せよ」 2016/12/15

琉球新報 2016年12月15日 06:01


この危険で不気味な灰色の機体が飛ぶ限り、どこに落ちてもおかしくない。県民の命と尊厳を守り、犠牲者を出さないためになすべきことが一層鮮明になった。

 それは危険機種の撤収にとどまらない。欠陥機を運用する在沖米海兵隊の全面撤退と辺野古新基地、高江ヘリ着陸帯の建設断念を強く求める。

 海兵隊の垂直離着陸機MV22オスプレイが13日夜、名護市安部の海岸に墜落した。多くの県民が「落ちるべくして落ちた」と背筋が凍る恐怖感を味わっている。
 沖縄配備を強行した上、危険な訓練を放置する日米両政府への強い怒りが基地の島に充満している。


見苦しい矮小化

 日米両政府は北部訓練場の過半返還の記念式典を22日に催す予定だが、東村高江のヘリ着陸帯建設を急ぐ強権的対応が強い反発を招く中、墜落事故まで起きた。式典強行は県民感情を逆なでする。
 翁長雄志知事は式典中止を要求した。北部訓練場は返還を前に基地機能強化が際立ち、安倍政権が口にする「負担軽減」は虚飾に満ちている。安倍政権で「基地負担軽減」を担う菅義偉官房長官は式典中止を決断すべきだ。

 海兵隊によると、事故機は空中給油を受ける訓練中に切れた給油管がプロペラを破損し、不安定になったという。制御できなくなったから海に落ちたのだ。墜落の衝撃で機体はバラバラになって波間に漂った。それでも海兵隊と日本政府は「不時着」と言い張る。オスプレイが使う辺野古新基地計画などへの影響を抑えようとする矮小(わいしょう)化は見苦しい。
 墜落の要因は激しい訓練にもある。高江ヘリ着陸帯への離着陸の頻度は増し、宜野座村や金武町の抗議をよそに、騒音防止協定に抵触する深夜まで両町村の住宅地上空で物資宙づり訓練が続いている。

 そして、今回の墜落は風速が強い暗闇の中での空中給油訓練中に起きた。練度向上を最優先し、民意を無視して危険な訓練を強行する海兵隊の組織体制、人権意識の希薄さが引き起こしたのだ。同じ日の夜、配備先の普天間飛行場に別のオスプレイが胴体着陸していたことも明らかになった。

 海兵隊の安全管理は全く機能していない。オスプレイを巡り、2012年に全41市町村長と議長が建白書に署名し、「オール沖縄」で配備に反対した。今も建白書は生きている。翁長県政は海兵隊撤退にこぎ着ける包括的基地施策を立案し、日米政府との折衝力を高めてもらいたい。

県民見下す暴言

 駐留する地の住民感情を全く認識していない。この人の思考回路はどうなっているのか。米軍統治下に逆戻りしたかと錯覚する。

 安慶田光男副知事の抗議に対し、在沖海兵隊トップのニコルソン四軍調整官は「操縦士は住宅、住民に被害を与えなかった。県民に感謝されるべきだ。表彰ものだ」とのたまい、抗議されること自体に不満を示した。机をたたき「政治問題にするのか」と開き直る場面もあった、という。
 沖縄を見下す「植民地意識丸出し」(安慶田副知事)の暴言だ。トップの姿勢が軍隊組織に悪影響を及ぼす。海兵隊は沖縄社会と到底相いれない異物と化している。一刻も早く姿を消してもらいたい。

 県内での米軍機墜落は今年2件目で日本復帰後48件目だ。年に1度以上、米軍機が落ちる都道府県がどこにあるのか。オスプレイは試作段階を含めて墜落事故が相次ぎ、37人が犠牲になっている。

 この欠陥機が飛び続ければ、墜落などの重大事故は避けられない。安全対策を尽くすといっても新たな犠牲を防ぐ担保にはならない。沖縄の空から消えてもらうしかないのである。

 海上保安庁の合同検証要求に対する米軍の返答はなく、現場から報道陣を遠ざけるよう県警に規制を促す場面もあった。日本の主権が発揮できない現場統制、日米地位協定の欠陥も正さねばならない。

英文へ→Editorial: Osprey crash – US Marine Corps has no choice but to leave and land return ceremony should be canceled

Editorial: Osprey crash – US Marine Corps has no choice but to leave and land return ceremony should be canceled

December 15, 2016 Ryukyu Shimpo


As long as these dangerous and eerie-grey-colored aircrafts continue to fly, it would be no surprise if they eventually crashed somewhere. It has become all the more clear what needs to be done in order to protect the lives and dignity of Okinawans and to prevent casualties.

This is not limited to the removal of these dangerous aircrafts. It also involves a strong demand to completely remove the U.S. Marine Corps who are stationed in Okinawa that operate these defective aircrafts, and to abandon the construction of the new Henoko base and the Takae helicopter landing strips, or helipads.

On the night of December 13, a Marine Corps vertical takeoff and landing aircraft MV-22 Osprey crash-landed on the coast of Abu in Nago City. Many Okinawans are experiencing a spine-chilling fear and are saying that this was bound to happen.

Indignation toward both Japanese and U.S. governments, which neglect these dangerous trainings while forcing Okinawa to host the Ospreys, is pervading the island where the military bases are located.

Contemptible trivialization

The Japanese and U.S. governments have plans to hold a ceremony for returning most the Northern Training Area (NTA) back to Okinawa on December 22. However, an authoritarian push to speed up the construction of the helipads in Takae of Higashi Village continues to cause strong backlash. Now that the crash-landing has happened on top of that, forcibly going through with the ceremony will only rub Okinawans the wrong way.

Because of this, Governor Takeshi Onaga has requested for the ceremony to be canceled.

Despite the imminent return of the NTA, efforts to strengthen the military base’s functions have become conspicuous. The Abe administration’s so-called “decreasing the burden” is just for show. Abe administration’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, who is responsible for “decreasing the burden of hosting the base” should cancel the ceremony.

According to the Marine Corps, the accident was caused by the fuel hose being severed during a midair refueling training and damaging the propeller, resulting in the aircraft becoming unstable. It crashed because it could no longer be controlled. The impact of the crash caused the aircraft to break into pieces, which floated in the ocean. However, rather than calling this a “crash-landing,” the Marine Corps and the Japanese government have insisted that this was an “emergency shallow water landing.” Their efforts to trivialize this matter by trying to suppress the effects of this on the plans for the new Henoko base that Ospreys would be operating at is contemptible.
The cause of the crash-landing also lies in intense training. The frequency of Ospreys taking off and landing at the Takae helipads have increased. Despite protests by people of Ginoza Village and Kin Town, training involving suspending goods midair above residential areas in the middle of the night continues. This infringes on the Noise Reduction Initiatives.

Furthermore, the crash-landing occurred during a midair refueling training when it was dark with high wind speeds. Making skills improvement the top priority, the Marine Corps system that ignores the will of the people by forcing through with dangerous trainings, and a weak sense of human rights is what caused the crash. On the night of the same day, it was revealed that another Osprey had made a belly landing at the Futenma Air Station, which is where the aircraft was deployed.

Safety management by the Marine Corps is not functioning at all. In 2012, 41 heads of municipalities and the chairman signed a petition and opposed the deployment of Ospreys “with all of Okinawa.” That petition is still alive. The Onaga prefectural administration should come up with comprehensive policies for the bases that will lead to the removal of the Marine Corps. The administration should also strengthen its ability to negotiate with the U.S. and Japanese governments.

Offensive remark that looks down on Okinawans

Area Coordinator Nicholson, the top Marine Corps officer in Okinawa, does not understand the emotions of the residents who live where the U.S. forces are stationed. What is going on with this person’s train of thought? It makes one feel as if Okinawa is under U.S. military authority again.
Area Coordinator Nicholson expressed displeasure toward Vice Governor Mitsuo Ageda’s complaint regarding the Osprey crash-landing. He said that the pilot did not cause any damage to houses and residents, that Okinawans should be thankful, and that this act was worthy of a commendation. At one point, he hit the desk and became defiant, questioning whether Vice Governor Ageda was trying to make this into a political issue.

This is when Area Coordinator Nicholson made the offensive remark looking down on Okinawans, showing his colonialist mentality.The attitudes of top officers have adverse effects on the military organization. The Marine Corps has morphed into a foreign object that is completely incompatible with the Okinawan society. They must leave as soon as possible.

This is the second time this year and the 48th time since Okinawa was relinquished to Japan that a U.S. military aircraft has crash-landed in Okinawa. In what other prefecture do U.S. military aircrafts crash more than once a year? Including the prototype stage, Osprey-related crash accidents have occurred one after another, resulting in 37 casualties.

If these defective aircrafts continue to fly, a major accident involving a crash will be unavoidable. Even if every effort is made to ensure safety, this cannot serve as collateral to prevent further casualties. The only way to be completely safe is for them to leave the Okinawan skies.

The U.S. military has not responded to the Japan Coast Guard’s request for a joint inspection. The U.S. military was also seen urging the Okinawa prefectural police to enforce regulation by keeping the press away from the scene. Japan being unable to display their sovereignty during such situations and the faulty Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement must be corrected.

(English translation by T&TC and Chelsea Ashimine)

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December 15, 2016 Ryukyu Shimpo