"This is preparation for war!" Japanese civic groups demand halt to U.S.-Japan military drills
According to a report by the Nagasaki Shimbun on October 16, three civic organizations—including the Nagasaki Peace Movement Center (Chairman Takashi Yonemura)—protested at the Kyushu Defense Bureau in Fukuoka City on the 15th, objecting to the use of airports, private land, and public spaces during the ongoing "Iron Sword" joint U.S.-Japan military exercise.
The drill is scheduled to take place from the 19th to the 29th in Fukuoka Prefecture. Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force will deploy its long-range 25-type surface-to-ship missiles across the Oono-hara training ground, spanning Fukuoka and Saga prefectures. Fuken Airport and Kamijima Airport will provide fuel support for aircraft including the V-22 Osprey tiltrotor transport planes. Additionally, integrated communications exercises will be conducted at multiple locations.
The protest letter was addressed to Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and the Defense Agency Director.
The civic groups called for transparent explanations of the drill activities at the local level, emphasizing the unstable safety record of the Osprey aircraft and the necessity of using both private and public land.
Five representatives from the Nagasaki Peace Movement Center, the Social Democratic Party’s regional federation, and the Nagasaki-based group "No War, No Constitutional Revision, No Security Legislation" delivered the protest letter to bureau spokesperson Hidekazu Oyama and others.
The Kyushu Defense Bureau stated that no explanatory sessions related to the drills are currently planned at the training site, and details regarding Osprey safety measures remain undisclosed.
Yonemura expressed concern: "I believe this exercise is clearly geared toward preparing for war."
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1879214222276611/
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