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U.S. military helicopter flies over Okinawa school again

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This is the meaning of the word "audacious", but the bad one, when it is not anyhow connected to bravery, but recklessness, and, probably, disrespect.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

3 words...

They don't care!

4 ( +6 / -2 )

There are only 3 possible reasons for this:

It was intentional because the pilots knowingly disregarded the instructions to overfly the school.

It was careless because the pilots either hadn't been sufficiently trained to avoid overflying the school or weren't careful enough to avoid doing so.

It was inadvertent but necessary because of flight conditions.

None of them are particularly encouraging because it means that the chances of this happening again are relatively high, further undermining confidence in whatever assurances and promises the U.S. military make to the Japanese government.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Or the fourth reason:

It was an accident. (commence downvoting)

2 ( +3 / -1 )

40 years ago there was nothing but farmland and farmer's houses. Now the base is surrounded by all types of buildings due to being cheaper land for building.

Who in the local government gives permission to build a school next to an airport anyways? Why, is because it is noisy cheap land!

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

@japanjim. Okinawans need to live somewhere. Like farmhouses. US occupation forces have bases everywhere and are expanding. So where should okinawans build schools? Tokyo?

1 ( +2 / -1 )

National news?

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Strangely I never hear many complaints about the JASDF frequently flying over residential areas (including schools).

But it's not because they don't regularly do it.

double standards at best.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Strangely I never hear many complaints about the JASDF frequently flying over residential areas (including schools).

It's certainly annoying but they aren't an occupying foreign force. If they do mess up, they should face the consequences.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Or the fourth reason:

It was an accident. (commence downvoting)

Fair enough, but the reason I didn't include that was because, if the military had placed enough emphasis on this with pilots, there wouldn't have been an accident. Which is sort of what I was getting at in #2.

But, if it was an accident, then the military needs to beef up training so that promises made to the Japanese government can be upheld.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

@GoodlucktoyouToday  11:25 am JST

@japanjim. Okinawans need to live somewhere. Like farmhouses. US occupation forces have bases everywhere and are expanding. So where should okinawans build schools? Tokyo?

Plenty of space to build elsewhere. There was huge amount of land returned, and it should have gone there. Take a look as there are many areas that are a ghost town from all the malls being built!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Could be accident but don't. shift responsibility to JSDF. US military is already. taking responsibility.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

JapanJim: Feb. 24 10:18 am JST,

It's as if I were playing a Whack-a-Mole constantly. However I may tell them their claim about Futenma is wrong, they appear one after another saying there was nothing around Futenma when it was built but that people began to live so dangerously around it. In other words, the base was there first before the people. Is this because all newcomer soldiers deployed to Okinawa acquire that false notion through brain-washing orientations they go through when they come to Okinawa?

Futenma was built on the land the U.S. occupation forces encroached upon with impunity while area residents were gathered in camps like POWs, swallowing up five villages completely and several others partially. You can see the trace of that land requisition even today by observing through the fences. Family tombs are here and there inside the base along the fences. Isn't it something that when families need to visit the tombs on occasions of ancestral worship, they have to acquire a special pass from the base commander? To visit one's ancestral tomb by acquiring a passport!

Go visit Ginowan City Museum and see for yourself how the area was like before the war. You can never say there was nothing but farmland there before the base was constructed.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

@extanker.

Or the fourth reason:

It was an accident. (commence downvoting) Here is me hitting + for ya! New pilot maybe from a visiting VMA squadron and then missed the memo. As flying over schools in the U.S happens all the time.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Some guy misses the memo and the whole base has to suffer intense and uncomfortable scrutiny once more.

You'd think there might be a large, no, a LARGE poster on the walls of the corridors and briefing rooms of all connected bases throughout Japan. Or maybe an updated booklet called "Commonsense Guide to Flying over Japanese cities, especially Okinawa".

The fact that this series of mishaps is still on-going suggests some kind of education is not happening, that someone in authority is still not taking the situation seriously; seen from outside this sure looks like disrespect.

As things are, how long will it be before the next 'accident'?

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Both US and Japanese Military Helicopters fly over Central Tokyo regularly, and Schools are clearly under their path... so if Okinawa can have a ban, can we have so too please ?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

That said, having a base smack bang in the middle of a heavily populated area is a bit dumb.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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