We think of the “Osprey” deployment issue. – After all, “vested interests of bureaucracy” was part and parcel of the issue!

* Information from a reader posted on Shanti Phula’s blog – July 3, 2012 –

This is a part of a TV program.  I think this video seems to well sum up the issue on deployment of U.S. army aircraft Osprey.  Around the last part of the video, a citizen in Okinawa comments “I feel Okinawa is a colony of Japan” and Mr. Tamagawa, a commentator, says “This issue contains the same policy as the nuclear power plant issue: Let’s send something dangerous to another place.”   These comments have made me deeply think of this issue.



English translation of an excerpt from a Japanese article: “We think of the wonder of the world hard” – July 1, 2012   

We think of the “Osprey” deployment issue. – After all, “vested interests of bureaucracy” was part and parcel of the issue!

Though not much reported in national papers, the “Osprey” issue has been widely reported every day for the past month in Okinawa local newspapers.  This issue was picked up and explained in detail in the “Somo Somo Souken” of a TV program “Morning Bird” on Thursday last week.  I’d like to introduce some part of it to discuss the issue.


<Summary of Osprey>

*The Osprey is considered to be very important aircraft for the U.S. Marines in terms of military strategy because it can transport supplies and people in large quantity at high speed and needs no runways.

*It has been announced that the aircraft will be deployed in the Futenma base in Okinawa Prefecture, which is said to be the most dangerous place, around the middle of August.

*It is also planned to deploy the Osprey in Honshu and Shikoku.  This will be a national problem in the near future.


<It is difficult to control the aircraft called “widow producing machine.”  

*So far 36 people were killed in eight accidents.


<Appearance of Osprey and cause of susceptibility to accident>

*It is structurally bad-balanced and has no autorotation function.

*It is similar to the nuclear power plant without filter-tipped ventilation arrangement.

(An omission)


As for the Osprey deployment issue, the Japanese government has kept denying it in the Diet since 2006.  However, feeling frustrated, the U.S. has made an announcement of the plan to deploy the Osprey.  At this time when negotiation is no longer feasible, the government is trying to explain the plan to the citizens in Okinawa “to persuade them to accept it with a connotation of no use opposing it.”

In this, there is a great similarity between the Ohi nuclear power plant restart and the Osprey deployment.

And, there are no politicians who can answer the question “Who will take responsibility if another nuclear power plant accident should occur.”  There are no politicians who can answer the question “Who will take responsibility if an Osprey should crash on private houses.”   These two issues are the same in that nobody will take responsibility.   Both cases are completely the same in that they might cause damages for which nobody can actually take responsibility.
(As for predicted worst damages, a nuclear power plant accident will cause overwhelmingly more damages.  However, I’d like to omit it as comparison is irrelevant to the nature of the issues.)

In accidents which occurred in other countries Ospreys crashed on inhabited areas, killing crew alone.  This explains why the Osprey has been called “widow producing machine.”  However, if an Osprey should crash on a densely populated area around the Futenma base, Japanese will be victimized.

Though I have no intention to add fuel to fear, the Osprey is not “widow producing machine” but can be “indiscriminant killing machine.”  In this regard, it is also similar to the nuclear power plant issue.

In the first place, I wonder if it is forgivable to victimize Japanese simply to preserve the vested interests of the American military industry and the Japanese bureaucracy subservient to the U.S.