Air Force CV-22 Ospreys assigned to the 353rd Special Operations Wing approach an MC-130J Commando II for refueling over the Sea of Japan, July 15, 2025. (Kristine Legate/U.S. Air Force)
A Japanese governor is calling for greater transparency from the U.S. military following the precautionary landing of an Air Force CV-22 Osprey at a civilian airport in his prefecture.
Speaking at his regular news conference on Friday, Iwate prefecture Gov. Takuya Tasso said he was relieved the incident at Iwate Hanamaki Airport “didn’t become a major accident,” and raised concerns about the lack of prior notice from U.S. forces.
“I don’t want them to do anything dangerous, and I want them to give us notice about flight plans in advance,” he said. “I would like to sort that out and will consider making a request to the Ministry of Defense and other relevant agencies.”
A CV-22 from the 353rd Special Operations Wing at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, touched down at the airport at 9:45 a.m. Thursday, wing spokesman 1st Lt. Cullen Drenkhahn said by email that day. No injuries or damage were reported, and commercial flights were not affected.
The aircraft departed at 6:18 p.m. Friday, after it was determined safe to do so, a spokesman with the Tohoku Defense Bureau said by phone Monday. The bureau is an arm of the defense ministry.
He said the Osprey flew south but did not have information on where it was headed. Some Japanese government officials speak to the press only on condition of anonymity.
Drenkhahn acknowledged an email inquiry Monday from Stars and Stripes but did not immediately provide responses.
Another Yokota-based Osprey made a precautionary landing at 3:55 p.m. July 18 at Odate-Noshiro Airport in Kitaakita city, according to a news release from Akita prefecture. No injuries or commercial flight delays were reported. The aircraft departed for Misawa Air Base at 10:55 p.m. that night.
Air Force Ospreys in Japan belong to the 353rd at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, but are assigned to the 21st Special Operations Squadron at Yokota Air Base, an airlift hub in western Tokyo.
Tasso’s concerns echo similar calls made in 2021 following a U.S.-Japan exercise involving Ospreys in Iwate. The prefecture still does not receive flight plan notifications, the governor said.
The Osprey, which can take off and land like a helicopter and cruise like a fixed-wing aircraft, has faced increased scrutiny in Japan. The U.S. and Japanese militaries grounded their tiltrotor fleets for nearly three months after a Yokota-based CV-22B crashed off Yakushima Island in November 2023, killing eight airmen.
The incident was blamed on a catastrophic mechanical failure and what investigators described as a “lack of urgency” by the crew in addressing an engine issue.
