Japan proposes island for Navy practice site
The Japanese government announced last week they located an uninhabited island where U.S. Navy pilots can conduct night-landing practices.
The proposed site is Okurokami Island, under the jurisdiction of Okimi, a town in Hiroshima Prefecture.
If approved, the 2.7-square-mile island would become a training area with a 6,562-foot runway. Carrier Air Wing FIVE pilots, assigned to the USS Kitty Hawk, hope to use the facility as a qualifying ground for landing on the carrier during night operations.
“We’re surprised by this. … We were not aware they were going to do this or suggest it,” said Jon Nylander, a Commander Naval Forces Japan spokesman. “We understand the burdens placed on residents around Atsugi NAF by carrier-landing practice. We’ve been discussing the need for an alternate field-carrier landing practice site for about 20 years now. And we welcome this new proposal and look forward to discussing it.”
During a weekly press conference Friday, Defense Agency chief Shigeru Ishiba acknowledged the town was interested in the government’s offer.
“I think this is a valuable offer. However, the Defense Agency hasn’t received any official proposal,” he said. “We would like to examine details after we see the proposal.”
Kiyoharu Mito, an Okimi town spokesman, said mayor Hidekazu Tanimoto is considering the plan. Tanimoto explained the proposal to the town assembly, focusing on the financial benefits that come with hosting a U.S. military facility. The mayor and his deputy approached the Japanese government last year about using the island.
For years, the Japanese government has been searching for a suitable alternative to night-landing practices at Atsugi. Nearby residents complain about the noise and the possibility of a plane crash in the densely populated areas surrounding the base.
Since 1985, the government had dangled Miyake Island as an alternate training spot. But persistent protesting from island residents, compounded by unpredictable volcanic activity, made the island a less attractive option. It was evacuated in September 2000 following a massive volcanic eruption.
Iwo Jima was a “long, temporary solution” to reducing the noise at Atsugi, Nylander said. He said the island has been used almost exclusively for about 18 years.
“It never had been planned as a permanent solution,” he said. “The problem with it is it’s too far away, too small, and there’s no divert field.”
Iwo Jima is about 660 miles from Atsugi. It’s also subject to bad weather, Nylander said, meaning the air wing typically can’t complete all its qualifications before having to return to Atsugi.
“We were lucky this last time that they were able to finish it,” he said, referring to the recent NLPs completed last month before the Kitty Hawk left Jan. 23.
Nylander said there’s no time line yet on when Okurokami Island could be utilized.
— Naoko Sekioka contributed to this report.
