The US has apologized to Japan over a series of accidents involving US military equipment that have sparked anger over US operations in the country, a Japanese Ministry of Defense spokesman said.
US Secretary of Defense James Mattis apologized to Japanese Minister of Defense Itsunori Onodera after a string of accidents, including the emergency landing on Monday of a US military helicopter in Okinawa.
That came just two days after a similar incident on the southern Japanese island, where more than half the 47,000 US troops in Japan are stationed.
“I told him about the issue, raising concrete examples of various accidents that happened in September, October, November, December last year and January this year in Okinawa,” Onodera told reporters after the talks.
Onodera has said he hoped to depart for Hawaii as soon as yesterday to meet US Pacific Command head Admiral Harry Harris to discuss the issue.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage after the helicopter landed near a hotel in the village of Yomitan on Monday.
However, Okinawa Governor Takeshi Onaga yesterday showed his frustration, saying: “I am lost for words, really.”
“I want them [the US military] to feel ashamed of their inability to be in control of what they are doing,” Onaga said, according to Jiji Press.
Last month, a window from a US military helicopter fell onto a school sports ground near the Futenma marine air base in Okinawa, but again no one was injured.
In October, a US military helicopter burst into flames after landing in an empty field.
Such accidents have sparked opposition to the US bases on the island, which would serve as a launchpad for any US military activity in Asia.
A series of crimes including rapes, assaults, hit-and-run and drunk-driving accidents by US personnel have also triggered protests on Okinawa, and are a frequent irritant in relations between the close security allies.
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