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The Mainichi
2 days ago
- General
- The Mainichi
Why are Osprey aircraft deployed in Japan's Saga Prefecture amid local opposition?
The Mainichi Shimbun answers some common questions readers may have about Osprey transport aircraft being deployed in southwest Japan's Saga Prefecture despite local concerns and opposition. Question: I've heard that Ospreys have arrived in Saga Prefecture. What's going on? Answer: Yes, that's referring to the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF)'s V-22 Osprey transport aircraft. The first unit arrived on July 9 at the newly established Camp Saga, adjacent to Kyushu-Saga International Airport in the city of Saga. The aircraft is scheduled to be stationed at the camp, where construction work is still ongoing, though its main facilities have been completed. Q: Why are they being deployed in Saga? A: The deployment is aimed at strengthening Japan's island defense capabilities, including of the Senkaku Islands in the southernmost prefecture of Okinawa. In the Mid-Term Defense Program approved by the Cabinet in 2013, the central government called for the creation of the Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade tasked with recapturing remote islands, and the introduction of Osprey aircraft for rapid troop deployment. The brigade's base is located at Camp Ainoura in Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture, about 60 kilometers from Saga. Q: How will they be operated moving forward? A: All 17 of the GSDF's Osprey aircraft were temporarily stationed at Camp Kisarazu in the eastern Japan city of Kisarazu, Chiba Prefecture, but they are scheduled to be fully relocated to Saga by mid-August. Training will begin once preparations are complete. The Kyushu Defense Bureau of the Ministry of Defense has presented an "operational plan" to Saga Prefecture detailing concrete examples of training content and flight paths. However, pilots will apparently choose the most appropriate routes based on weather conditions during actual operations. The Ministry of Defense has stated that local authorities, including the Saga Municipal Government, will be notified when training begins. Q: What do residents think? A: Informational meetings were held from June 10 to 13 for local neighborhood association leaders near Camp Saga, where concerns about noise and other issues were raised. Some locals involved in the fishery opposing the deployment have filed a lawsuit seeking to halt the camp's construction. On June 21, about 620 residents gathered near the camp site for a rally opposing the Osprey deployment. The national government is urged to provide thorough explanations to residents and foster trust. (Japanese original by Akiho Narimatsu, Saga Bureau)
Hans India
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Japan opens Osprey base in southwestern prefecture
Tokyo: In a significant move to defend its remote islands from the growing Chinese aggression in the region, Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF) on Wednesday announced the opening up of a new base in the southwestern prefecture of Saga to host its fleet of Osprey transport aircraft, local media reported. Taking off from Camp Kisarazu in the Chiba prefecture near Tokyo, the first V-22 Osprey transport aircraft arrived at the camp in Saga Prefecture on the main island of Kyushu on Wednesday morning. The GSDF's tilt-rotor aircraft was temporarily based in Chiba from July 2020, Japan's Kyodo News reported. The new camp began with a staff of around 420 personnel. The chief mission of the V-22 unit, in the event of an emergency, is to transport equipment and personnel for the GSDF's Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade. The functions of the Ospreys include their ability to take off as well as land like helicopters, but on the other hand, cruise like airplanes. According to the local media, the Japanese Marines specialise in defending remote islands, and are based in Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture, adjacent to Saga. A 'strategically vital' area due to its proximity to the potential geopolitical flashpoint of Taiwan, the relocation of the Ospreys reflects Tokyo's recent focus on bolstering deterrence and response capabilities in the southwestern Nansei island chain, Kyodo News reported. It added that the GSDF plans to transfer the remaining 16 Ospreys, that are temporarily stationed at Camp Kisarazu, to the new facility built west of Kyushu Saga International Airport in several waves by mid-August. The US military also deploys Ospreys in Japan. Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba highlighted the significance of the Osprey fleet presence in Saga in a campaign speech in the city Wednesday ahead of the July 20 House of Councillors election, saying, "Japan's safety and readiness for disaster relief will be much more enhanced."
Asahi Shimbun
09-07-2025
- General
- Asahi Shimbun
1st GSDF Osprey arrives in strategic Saga base deployment
SAGA—As part of the nation's "southwest shift" to strengthen defense of remote islands, the deployment of the Ground Self-Defense Force's Osprey transport aircraft at Saga Airport has begun. At around 10:20 a.m. on July 9, an Osprey landed on the airport runway and arrived at the GSDF Camp Saga, which was built adjacent to the airport, located in the capital of Saga Prefecture. An opening ceremony for Camp Saga was held after the Osprey's arrival. 'Camp Saga, located in northern Kyushu, where many major units involved in amphibious operations are located, is strategically extremely important,' Masayoshi Arai, commanding general of the GSDF Western Army, said at the ceremony. Arai also called on the assembled personnel to 'take all possible measures as a camp' for the operation of the Osprey, including safety management, accident prevention and noise control. By mid-August, all 17 of the tilt-rotor aircraft will be transferred from Camp Kisarazu in Chiba Prefecture, where they have been temporarily stationed, to Camp Saga. On July 6, four of the 17 aircraft were moved to the GSDF Vice Camp Takayubaru in Kumamoto Prefecture from Camp Kisarazu. The one arriving at Camp Saga on July 9 was one of the four Osprey. In the future, about 50 helicopters from the GSDF Camp Metabaru in Saga Prefecture are also planned to be relocated to Camp Saga. A total of 17,000 takeoffs and landings are expected per year, including at night. The plan for the deployment of Osprey to Saga was announced in 2014 and took about 10 years to implement. During this time, coordination with the local community was difficult as the deployment faced stiff local opposition. The Defense Ministry deployed the Osprey to Kisarazu under the condition that they would be deployed for a maximum of five years, and July 9 was the deadline. The deployment is part of the effort to strengthen the defense of the Nansei Islands. The headquarters will be located at Camp Ainoura in Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture, and is expected to operate in unison with the amphibious task force, which will be responsible for the defense of the remote islands. It is expected that the Osprey will be in full-scale operation in Kyushu and the Nansei Islands. In Japan, about 30 Osprey aircraft are deployed at U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Okinawa Prefecture, U.S. Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo, and U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in Yamaguchi Prefecture. Due to accidents and problems in Japan and abroad, Osprey flights have been repeatedly suspended and resumed in recent years, raising concerns about the safety of the aircraft, including at deployment sites.
Japan Times
09-07-2025
- General
- Japan Times
GSDF begins Osprey deployment to new camp in southwestern Japan
The Ground Self-Defense Force opened a camp in the city of Saga on Wednesday as it began work to relocate its 17 Osprey tilt-rotor transport aircraft from a camp in eastern Japan. The Osprey deployment from the GSDF's Camp Kisarazu in Chiba Prefecture, near Tokyo, to the new camp is scheduled to be completed by mid-August. The move is aimed at enhancing the Self-Defense Forces' quick response capability for the defense of the Nansei group of islands in southwestern Japan, amid China's increasing maritime activities. According to the GSDF, one of the 17 Ospreys was transferred to the camp in the capital of Saga Prefecture on Wednesday. It arrived in the morning via the GSDF's Takayubaru subcamp in Kumamoto Prefecture, near Saga. The main role of the Ospreys is to transport members of the GSDF's Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade, which specializes in the defense of remote islands. They are also mobilized to airlift emergency patients and in times of natural disasters. A GSDF Osprey was used to transport goods during a wildfire in the city of Imabari, Ehime Prefecture, in March this year. The Defense Ministry's plan to deploy the Ospreys in Saga, adjacent to Nagasaki Prefecture, which hosts the GSDF's Camp Ainoura, the base for the amphibious brigade, initially ran into difficulties due to tough negotiations with local fisheries industries. As a result, the ministry temporarily deployed the aircraft to Camp Kisarazu in July 2020, for up to five years. Concerns about the safety of the Osprey grew in the wake of a series of accidents. In November 2023, a U.S. Air Force Osprey crashed off the island of Yakushima in Kagoshima Prefecture. A GSDF Osprey suffered damage during a Japan-U.S. joint exercise in the town of Yonaguni in Okinawa Prefecture in October 2024. The GSDF Osprey deployment to the Saga camp is "of extreme significance for the strengthening of the (SDF's) capability for defending remote islands," Defense Minister Gen Nakatani told a news conference Tuesday. "We'll give detailed explanations and information, including on safety." "We are taking various measures to ensure safe Osprey operations," Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said in the city of Saga on Wednesday during a stump speech for the July 20 Upper House election. "We won't cause trouble to local residents." "The Ospreys are helpful for the defense of our country and for disaster relief because they can travel twice as fast as helicopters and three times farther," Ishiba added.
09-07-2025
- Politics
GSDF Begins Osprey Deployment to Camp in Southwestern Japan
News from Japan Politics Jul 9, 2025 15:37 (JST) Saga, July 9 (Jiji Press)--Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force opened a camp in the southwestern city of Saga on Wednesday, launching work to relocate its 17 Osprey tilt-rotor transport aircraft from a camp in eastern Japan. The Osprey deployment from the GSDF's Camp Kisarazu in Chiba Prefecture, near Tokyo, to the new camp is scheduled to be completed by mid-August. The move is aimed at enhancing the Self-Defense Forces' quick response capability for the defense of the Nansei group of islands in southwestern Japan, amid China's increasing maritime activities. According to the GSDF, one of the 17 Ospreys was transferred to the camp in the Saga Prefecture capital Wednesday. It arrived in the morning via the GSDF's Takayubaru subcamp in Kumamoto Prefecture, near Saga. The main role of the Ospreys is to transport members of the GSDF's Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade, which specializes in the defense of remote islands. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
