TOKYO, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- Okinawa Gov. Takeshi Onaga on Tuesday slammed the central government for using Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF) helicopters to haul heavy equipment to be used to build new facilities for the U.S. military in Japan's southernmost prefecture.
Onaga, a staunch opponent of the relocation of a controversial U.S. base within the tiny island and advocate for lessening the base-hosting burdens of the island's local people, said the move by the Defense Ministry was "intolerable."
Local media quoted Onaga as saying that the Defense Ministry's Okinawa bureau using GSDF CH-47 transportation helicopters to airlift trucks and other heavy construction equipment to be used for the construction of U.S. military facilities was one that would greatly harm relations between the local Okinawa and central government.
The prefectural government in Okinawa had strongly urged that GSDF helicopters not be used to transport the equipment when the local chapter of the Defense Ministry informed it of the likelihood just one day before.
Onaga said the central government failed to provide a full explanation ahead of time as to why it was employing the use of the GSDF helicopters for U.S. military-linked construction.
He was quoted by local media Tuesday as saying that he was "observing the current situation with resentment."
It is exceedingly rare for Self-Defense Forces' helicopters to be used for the construction of U.S. military facilities and bases in Japan and, as such, the move saw local residents up in arms and also swift to denounce the move.
Okinawa's Northern Training Area, where two helipads have been built, with further construction underway, was once again the site of vehement protests on Tuesday by locals who are concerned the expanding facility will bring with it further noise and pollution problems.
The protestors also believe that the accident-prone Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft that could possibly be using the helipads, could be another source of increased noise and danger in the area. The aircraft, that can take off and land like a helicopter yet fly like a regular plane, have a seriously checkered safety history.
The Defense Ministry said it had previously been using commercial helicopters to haul equipment because protestors had been blocking access roads, but decided to use GSDF helicopters Tuesday to haul heavier equipment.
Defense Minister Tomomi Inada told a press briefing on the matter that the use of GSDF helicopters in the area would be kept at a minimum,
The project is part of a 1996 pact between Tokyo and Washington to reduce the U.S. military's footprint on the sub-tropical island. Okinawa hosts the majority of the U.S. forces in Japan, yet accounts for a tiny fraction of Japan's land mass.
According to the deal, both the Japanese and the U.S. governments agreed that 4,000 hectares of the 7,800-hectare training area would be returned to Okinawa provided that six helipads are relocated to the remaining area.
The work began in 2007, but only two helipads have been completed so far.
