US Helicopter Crash in Okinawa

[DoctorP]

This just happened today. Luckily no civilians were hurt! I saw it on the 5pm news, but just found this story!

US Helicopter Crash, BBC news report

[RockLee]

OWwwww.....*-10 points for the Americans on the friendscale...* I think this is going to be nasty if they don't watch out, it seems the US isn't really WANTED in that area



offtopic:I don't know why the us has soldiers stationed there actually...could someone enlighten me??

[bexchurnside]

Originally Posted by CC1

This just happened today. Luckily no civilians were hurt! I saw it on the 5pm news, but just found this story!
US Helicopter Crash, BBC news report

How much does Japan have to pay for this incident, as it occurred on their soil?

[Sukotto]

This incident prompted people of Okinawa to make a 20 min documentary The Wishes of 89,000 People on the return of Futenma Air Station, which was promised to have been returned to them in 7 years from 1996. This has still not been done.

Futenma-Henoko Action Network site I found today had something to do with making the video.
http://www.fhan.org/news.html

I will try to post this video on youtube or google, but I am having trouble.
I do not know how to copy it from the dvd to the hard drive. Whatever happened to "copy file" ? Plus it's in no way coded or encrypted, I just don't know how to do it. Anyone have any tips?

[senseiman]

Deja vu. About 2 years ago another US military helicopter crashed into a college campus in Okinawa. Fortunately nobody was killed, which was extremely lucky (and possibly thanks to the bravery of the pilot). My wife's aunt owns a calligraphy school that was literally about a block away from the crash site. A couple of weeks after it happened we went for a visit and on our way to her school we saw the crash site. It was quite amazing. There was this 3 story building with one side of it stained black from the fire and with huge gouges in the concrete from where the rotor blades had struck.

These things go down all the time. I remember when I was a kid in the mid-80s I lived on a US air force base in West Germany and it seemed that just about every month or two one of their fighter jets or helicopters was crashing into a village or farmer's field. In Okinawa the problem is probably exacerbated by the fact that the US bases like Futenma are located right next to densely populated urban areas, so whenever something crashes it is almost inevitably going to land on somebody's house or something.

[Sukotto]

Sumimasen kedo,

this is actually that same incident. the thread had been resurrected.

[Thunderthief]

Im a student dvd technican, I could walk you through how to do this if you want, altough its a little complicated.

[DoctorP]

In Okinawa the problem is probably exacerbated by the fact that the US bases like Futenma are located right next to densely populated urban areas, so whenever something crashes it is almost inevitably going to land on somebody's house or something.

You know, no one every mentions the fact that the when the base was built, the area wasn't heavily populated. Strange how people build all around an airfield, then years later complain because an airfield is in the middle of a heavily populated area!

[KirinMan]

Originally Posted by CC1

You know, no one every mentions the fact that the when the base was built, the area wasn't heavily populated. Strange how people build all around an airfield, then years later complain because an airfield is in the middle of a heavily populated area!

How true, that particular area was all farm land. Amazing isn't it how many people have convenient memories.

[Sukotto]

It's not like the Okinawans are trying to take something that isn't theirs

[-Rudel-]

Indeed, I can only imagine that during the late 40s, 50s, and 60s, it was all farmland, then the increasing population liek China occurs on a small island. Can't live on the ocean can ya? I know there are some projects going south of Okinawa where they are laying foundation down out in the ocean to create more apartment complexes.

Little off topic....

I'd just like to throw in a little trivia knowledge, that the college that was hit by the helicopter is the same college that Mongol 800 bass player and singer went too.

[senseiman]

Originally Posted by CC1

You know, no one every mentions the fact that the when the base was built, the area wasn't heavily populated. Strange how people build all around an airfield, then years later complain because an airfield is in the middle of a heavily populated area!

Well, what your saying is not really fair either. Okinawa's population boomed after the war and with the limited space on the island there really wasn't much else to do but build around the bases as the city expanded. And of course the situation wasn't helped much by having so much of the land suitable for building on taken up by US military facilities.

[KirinMan]

Originally Posted by senseiman

Well, what your saying is not really fair either. Okinawa's population boomed after the war and with the limited space on the island there really wasn't much else to do but build around the bases as the city expanded. And of course the situation wasn't helped much by having so much of the land suitable for building on taken up by US military facilities.

While that may be true, the Okinawans are also guilty of purposely placing public facilities, that were not by the way there before the war or after the way, at or very near to the bases to utilize them as bargaining chips in getting the bases removed.

2 examples here, Futenma Dai Elementary School and Okinawa International University. Neither of theses schools had to be built damn near right on top of the flight line either. Kind of sad that the Japanese Government is/has used the children of Okinawa in such a way. That is one other way of looking at it as well.

Ok the argument could be made that "it's their land so it's their right to do with it as they please". Yet the land in question is still private land being leased by the US government for the use of the bases. There are many that DO NOT want to see the base returned, purely because their livelyhood, or should I say their income would disappear.

I am not for the base, particularly MCAS Futenma staying where it is, however I am against it being used, by the US government as a bargaining chip in getting a new base, paid for mind you by the Japanese Government and my tax yen, here in the Prefecture.

[senseiman]

Originally Posted by Obeika

While that may be true, the Okinawans are also guilty of purposely placing public facilities, that were not by the way there before the war or after the way, at or very near to the bases to utilize them as bargaining chips in getting the bases removed.

Just about every building on the island was destroyed during the war, so it isn't really surprising that public officials would not choose to re-build facilities on the exact spot they had existed previously.

Originally Posted by Obeika

2 examples here, Futenma Dai Elementary School and Okinawa International University. Neither of theses schools had to be built damn near right on top of the flight line either. Kind of sad that the Japanese Government is/has used the children of Okinawa in such a way. That is one other way of looking at it as well.

Does the central government decide where elementary schools are built? In the above paragraph you said the Okinawans were the guilty party.

You might be right about the location of those schools being ill-advised, but at the end of the day the land has to be used. I have no idea if the central government is "using" the schoolchildren of Okinawa in the way you describe. Its hardly a strong piece of leverage, the US military certainly doesn't care if the locals choose to build a school near their runway, at least nowhere near enough for that to make them leave.

Originally Posted by Obeika

Ok the argument could be made that "it's their land so it's their right to do with it as they please". Yet the land in question is still private land being leased by the US government for the use of the bases. There are many that DO NOT want to see the base returned, purely because their livelyhood, or should I say their income would disappear.

There certainly would be negative consequences for the economy of the prefecture if the bases closed. I'm not entirely certain what to think of them, though I generally feel that the smaller the US military "footprint" in Okinawa is, the better.

Originally Posted by Obeika

I am not for the base, particularly MCAS Futenma staying where it is, however I am against it being used, by the US government as a bargaining chip in getting a new base, paid for mind you by the Japanese Government and my tax yen, here in the Prefecture.

Agree with you there!

[KirinMan]

Does the central government decide where elementary schools are built? In the above paragraph you said the Okinawans were the guilty party.

Yes, the "central" government as in the Prefecture along with the city, town or village authorities, decide where the schools will be built, partly because funding for the schools comes from the national government as well.

Yes I did say the Okinawan government was guilty as well. It wasn't necessary for the schools to be built "right" there. If you have ever been to Okinawa you may have seen that the ES school that I refered to is right in the flight pattern for take-offs and landings at MCAS Futenma. The school, and others in the area around Futenma and Kadena Air Base have double glass windows as well as A/C, as well as other "sound-proofing" done on the buildings to keep the noise level down within the classrooms, all paid for by tax money funded through the Naha Defense Agency Bureau.

Now then this is all after the fact so there is really nothing that can be done about it. The point is however that there are certain situations here that were created by the Okinawan's, jointly with the American government as I will point out later, themselves. Which is of course their right as it is their island.

Just about every building on the island was destroyed during the war, so it isn't really surprising that public officials would not choose to re-build facilities on the exact spot they had existed previously.

I know that, I have seen pictures and movies of the destruction more times than I would wish to count. The majority of the rebuilding after the war was done through funding of the US goverment.

The US government is also partially to blame for some of the current problems with the buildings as well as some were constructed when the island was still under control of the US government during Ryukyu Administration Period which ran from the end of the war until May 15th 1972. Yet the bases were there before the facilities in question were built. The school was originally built in the late 1960's, so the final decision to build the school at the time would have also come under the control of the US Government as well.

http://www.ginowan-okn.ed.jp/~hpfutenma2-e/

The base itself has been in it's current location since 1945 so the build up of the city around it has taken place since then. My point is there is quite a bit of blame that can be passed around, but in the end the current situation as it stands is in neither countries best interests and needs to be resolved in a more timely manner with the support and assistance of the Japanese

Government in getting some other location in Japan to either host the base or rebuild it. Which of course will never happen as the central government in Tokyo has shown time and again that it really doesnt give two hoots about the "people" of Okinawa anyway.

Agree with you there!

Thank you.

[senseiman]

Originally Posted by Obeika

My point is there is quite a bit of blame that can be passed around, but in the end the current situation as it stands is in neither countries best interests and needs to be resolved in a more timely manner with the support and assistance of the Japanese
Government in getting some other location in Japan to either host the base or rebuild it. Which of course will never happen as the central government in Tokyo has shown time and again that it really doesnt give two hoots about the "people" of Okinawa anyway.

Interesting post.

I agree with what you are saying, both about what needs to be done and why it probably won't happen.

Its pretty sad. I've only been to Okinawa once but I really fell in love with the place.

[antinec]

Originally Posted by Obeika

Ok the argument could be made that "it's their land so it's their right to do with it as they please". Yet the land in question is still private land being leased by the US government for the use of the bases. There are many that DO NOT want to see the base returned, purely because their livelyhood, or should I say their income would disappear.

My wife and I have this discussion quite often. She is vehemenently against the bases in Okinawa, but she also has relatives who make their living working on them. When we go driving around the island, you can really see how so many areas are completely dependent upon the bases (Chatan obviously). We wonder what might happen to the economy of Okinawa should the American bases someday be removed.