The Defense Ministry said Monday that the U.S. military has not broken any operational rules the two countries set for flying the MV-22 Osprey, countering Okinawa's claims they are flying too low and outside the designated hours.
The ministry concluded that "there were no clear violations" of the bilateral agreement after analyzing documents submitted by the prefecture with some 3,000 photos the ministry's local bureau took near Futenma air station in the city of Ginowan.
The Okinawa Prefectural Government has argued there have been 318 violations, including flying outside of designated hours and at a low altitude over a highly populated residential area.