U.S. military aircraft noise disrupts school entrance ceremonies midway despite no-flight appeal

U.S. military aircraft noise disrupts school entrance ceremonies midway despite no-flight appeal

At about 10:23 a.m. on May 21 in Aragusuku, Ginowan City, a U.S. military aircraft flies around in the sky over a residential district near to Futenma Junior High School, where an opening ceremony and school entrance ceremony are being held.


May 22, 2020 Ryukyu Shimpo

On May 21, while elementary and junior high schools in various regions of Okinawa held opening ceremonies and school entrance ceremonies, U.S. military aircraft successively took off from and landed at Futenma Air Station. On this day, noise measurements taken by University of the Ryukyus Associate Professor Takeshi Tokashiki recorded noise at 87.4 decibels at 11:16 a.m. and 84.8 decibels at 10:22 a.m. at Futenma Daini Elementary School. The Ginowan city government had appealed for the U.S. military to refrain from flights during school entrance ceremonies.

Just past 10:20 a.m., while Futenma Junior High School in Ginowan City was holding its school entrance ceremony, a CH-53 large transport helicopter took off heading north. It was confirmed that the helicopter flew around overhead in the vicinity of Futenma Junior High School and Futenma Daini Elementary School. After this, Osprey aircraft performed repeated takeoffs and landings.

Chairperson Tomoko Miyagi, 50, of “Team Midorigaoka 1207”, a group of people whose children live or commute to Futenma, said: “In the midst of falling objects incidents, why is it that the U.S. military can ignore (the local appeal). The Japanese government hears our voices and makes firm requests to the U.S. military, I want residents’ concerns to be changed to peace of mind.”
(English translation by T&CT and Erin Jones)

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