Emergency landing on Aguni. US Military Helicopter, flight “continued,” returns to Futenma. (22oc21)

In the evening on 20 October, a CH53E large transport helicopter based at the US Military Futenma Airfield in Ginowan made an emergency landing at Aguni Airport in Aguni Village. Around noon on 21 October, it returned to Futenma Airfield under its own power. The US Military reported the continuance of the flight to the Okinawa Defense Bureau. Aguni Village plans to protest to the US Military through the Okinawa Defense Bureau. The village assembly intends to quickly call a special assembly meeting to lodge the protest.


The US Military dispatched another helicopter of the same type with mechanics and repaired the aircraft. According to workers at Aguni Airport, the aircraft that had made the emergency landing took off around 11:08 in the morning on 21 October. It has been confirmed that, after returning to Futenma Airfield, the aircraft’s condition was checked on the tarmac by mechanics with two repair trucks. The aircraft was left there on the tarmac at least until around 5 in the afternoon that day.


US Marine HQ in Okinawa clarified to the Ryukyu Shimpo that before the emergency landing, the helicopter was attempting mid-air refueling. The HQ explained, “Noticing the indicators for the need for caution, although flight was possible, the crew made a precautionary landing out of an abundance of caution.”  


The people of Aguni Village raised voices of shock and unease on 21 October. Aguni Airport is quite distant from housing, but a great many locals knew about the emergency landing from news reports that morning. A woman in her forties noted, “US Military planes have flown overhead, but I think this is the first emergency landing in my lifetime. I really feel threatened.”


At a press conference on 21 October, Governor Denny Tamaki elaborated, “Aircraft related accidents can certainly be catastrophic. This is especially regrettable.” The Prefecture also requested Marine HQ in Okinawa and the Okinawa Defense Bureau to reveal the cause of the accident and take effective measures to prevent it from happening again. The Prefecture also orally requested measures such as thorough safety management.


Original Japanese article: Ryukyu Shimpo, published Friday 22 October 2021 at 05:54

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/6dbc458402b83fc46e583654f7ad41d5c41d68b9


Translator’s note:

Denny in the News: news about Okinawan Governor Denny Tamaki.

Denny Tamaki is the governor of Okinawa Prefecture in Japan. Although Okinawa is important as an international tourist destination and a key element in strategic US Military Forces, its governor receives very little coverage in the Japanese press and almost none in the English language media. 

  1. This blog hopes to  translate one news article a day on the governor.  It is unsponsored and unauthorized. The translator simply hopes to improve his skills and perhaps give the governor an English speaking audience. Any suggestion on improving the translation will be gratefully accepted. However, please leave political comments for another forum.

  2. Where they occur, words and phrases in Ryukyuan (the Okinawan language) are rendered in italics and translated in parentheses. Names  whose readings are uncertain are rendered as Name (=Kanji?) as in Nagayuki (=長行?). Any corrections in such instances would be gratefully appreciated.

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

In the suit over exercise of proxy in the case of the weak seabed at the new Henoko base, judgment to be handed down on 20 December. (4de23)

Image
Splendor of Okinawa: Shrubby Bush Clover, roadside Uruma, 30no23 The seabed at the new base construction site at Henoko in Nago, Okinawa Prefecture, is weak and needs reinforcement. So, the Okinawa Defense Bureau requested permission for the necessary design changes, but Governor Denny Tamaki refused. In response, the Government intends to exercise proxy to give itself permission in place of the governor. The Naha Branch of the Fukuoka High Court announced on 29 November that it will hand down its judgment in the lawsuit filed over the case at 2 pm on 20 December. At the trial on 30 October, Governor Denny Tamaki emphasized in the first oral arguments, “We can in no way accept this exercise of proxy, which violates the autonomy and independence of Okinawa.”  He further stressed the will of the prefecture’s people in opposition to the new base construction as the ‘Public will’. In addition, he requested to show that the  path to resolution lay in dialogue. The trial was conclud...
Read more

Governor Denny receives the report on JUNGLIA at the 4 month mark after its opening. (7de25)

Image
Splendor of Okinawa: Temple Tree, Mihama Beach, 1de25 CEO Takeshi Kato of Japan Entertainment (JE), which manages JUNGLIA Okinawa, visited Governor Denny Tamaki at the Prefectural Office on 28 November.  　 The CEO reported on the 4 months since the attraction’s opening. He repeatedly brought up dealing with operational improvements and such based on the voices of visitors to the park.  　 The CEO specifically mentioned the evening concerts in the park’s garden and, starting from December, the free entry of one child with each adult, targeting the prefecture’s people. CEO Kato stated, “We’d like to be contributing to Okinawa’s tourism as well.” Governor Tamaki, alluding to his speech the same day, entitled “Declaration on Sustainable Tourism”, stated, “For the people, employees, and tourists of our prefecture, this is an important win-win format. We’d like to have JE’s cooperation in many, many more initiatives.” Original Japanese article: Ryukyu Shimpo, published Sunday 30 Nov...
Read more

In Okinawa, Candidate Takara takes hold of the Henoko opposition parties as their new face, urging,”Let’s earnestly come to grips with these issues together.” (21jy25).

Image
Splendor of Okinawa: Mexican Petunia, Gushikawa RC Church, 13jy25. In the House of Councilors Election for the Okinawa Election District, independent candidate Sachika Takara (46), endorsed by All Okinawa, which opposes the relocation of the US Military Futenma Airfield in Ginowan to Henoko in Nago, both in Okinawa Prefecture, scored a victory. She defeated the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Party’s new candidate Ryo Okuma (38) in the election campaign.  Candidate Takara pledged before her supporters, “The Henoko problem is something our prefecture’s people have taken into our hearts. We’re going to earnestly come to grips with it together.”  With their eyes on a victory in next year’s gubernatorial election, her victory was a bitter blow to the LDP. Governor Denny Tamaki, who held the job of Candidate Takara’s campaign headquarters chief, stressed, “The will of the people in opposition to the relocation remains unshaken.” In recent mayoral elections, All Okinawa’s fortunes ha...
Read more