For nearly 30 years, Ginowan resident Eisho Nakandakari has had periodic trouble sleeping at night. It's not insomnia that keeps him up, but the roar of jets from U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, just a few hundred meters from his home.
"Lots of times, U.S. aircraft take off and land in the middle of the night during training sessions. In principle, the U.S. says that it will not fly between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., but there's a clause in the agreement that allows them to do so if they feel it's necessary," he says.
Nakandakari adds that Ginowan residents have never received prior notification of the flights from either the marines or Japanese authorities. Now, with the MV-22 Osprey slated to be deployed to Futenma sometime this year, people living around the base are concerned not only about the noise from jets and helicopters taking off and landing, but also what routes over their homes the Osprey, with its spotty safety record, will take.