Six of the 12 Osprey tilt-rotor transport aircraft stationed at U.S. Marine Corps' Air Station Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture, were deployed at Air Station Futenma in Okinawa Prefecture on Monday, and three more Osprey aircraft flew from Iwakuni to Futenma on Tuesday amid Okinawans' concerns about the aircraft's safety and protests against its deployment in their prefecture. Eventually all 12 Osprey aircraft are expected to be stationed at Futenma.
The Japanese and U.S. governments should not make light of the fact that resentment among Okinawans is deepening and protest activities are escalating.
From Saturday to Sunday, protesters blocked all the gates to Futenma. The Okinawa prefectural assembly adopted a resolution to protest the Osprey's deployment at Futenma. Okinawa Gov. Hirokazu Nakaima said that the fact that the deployment is taking place at a time when Okinawans' worries have not dissipated is "beyond understanding."