In Saga Prefecture, Japan, a landowners association has agreed to sell land next to Saga Airport to the Defense Ministry to facilitate the deployment of Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF) Osprey tilt-rotor transport aircraft. The decision came after more than two-thirds of around 250 members of the Saga prefectural fisheries cooperative federation, which includes local seaweed farmers, agreed to the sale. The Ministry’s plan to deploy 17 Osprey aircraft and around 50 helicopters to the new base will now move forward, using Saga Airport’s runway.
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By Cpl Christopher Q. Stone [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
The decision has been met with some opposition, particularly from local seaweed farmers who fear the large-scale construction required for the new base could harm the quality of seawater and negatively impact seaweed farming in the Ariake Sea. Despite this opposition, negotiations have been ongoing for five years, and the ministry had deployed the Osprey aircraft it had already purchased at a temporary base in Chiba Prefecture.
The JGSDF plans to deploy the Osprey aircraft to transport troops based in Camp Ainoura in Nagasaki Prefecture, who are responsible for protecting remote islands to the southwest islands stretching between the Kyushu region and Taiwan. The deployment of the Ospreys at the new base will enable the JGSDF to respond quickly in the event of a crisis.
The acquisition of the property will now allow the ministry’s Kyushu Defense Bureau to commence the construction of the new base. The ministry has stated that the aim of the plan is to enhance Japan’s defense capabilities and ensure the security of its citizens.
While some association members are considering legal action against the sale, the decision at the meeting means that the ministry’s plan to deploy the Osprey in Saga Prefecture can now proceed. The ministry has already started researching the land, including conducting survey work, and will begin construction once it completes the acquisition of the property.
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