A V-22 Osprey arrived Friday at the Ground Self-Defense Force's Camp Kisarazu in Chiba Prefecture, where the government plans to keep 17 of the U.S.-made tilt-rotor transport aircraft for up to five years before permanently deploying them to Saga Prefecture.
Local opposition in Saga over the aircraft's checkered safety record required the temporary measure. The planned deployment to the southwest by the GSDF is intended as a counter to China's growing regional assertiveness.
The first Osprey and another one were undergoing maintenance at U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in Yamaguchi Prefecture following delivery by ship from the United States in May.