The unprecedented use of U.S. Marine Corps Osprey aircraft for disaster relief operations drew a mixed response from people in quake-hit Kyushu amid concern over the safety of the tilt-rotor aircraft.
"I feel Ospreys are accident-prone. If an earthquake and accident happen at the same time, it will be far from helping," said Susumu Hirose, 73, of Aso, Kumamoto Prefecture, which was rocked by last week's powerful earthquakes.
A 46-year-old woman from Aso said she does not have a good image of the aircraft, while welcoming the fact that relief supplies are being delivered to quake-hit areas where many elderly people and children have been evacuated from their homes.