US military to resume Osprey flights in Japan following accident

TOKYO - The US military in Japan will resume use of its Osprey planes Monday afternoon, less than a week since a major accident occurred in the south, reported local media Monday morning.

A US Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey aircraft belonging to the Futenma base in the city of Ginowan made a water crash-landing off southern Okinawa prefecture on Dec 13, injuring two of the five crew members aboard.

Following the accident, Japan asked the US military to suspend its Osprey flights in Okinawa until the cause of the accident is known and safety is ensured.

The US military said the aircraft has no problem.

"We are highly confident in our assessment that the cause of the mishap was due solely to the aircraft's rotor blades coming into contact with the refueling line," US Forces and Japan Commander Lt. Gen Jerry Martinez was quoted as saying by Kyodo News.

Worried about safety, local people, however, want the US aircrafts to keep grounded.

Okinawa Governor Takeshi Onaga called the Japanese government's approval of the flight resumption "outrageous," and the local government has urged the central government to forbid the resumption of Osprey flight operations, according to Kyodo.

The Japanese and US governments have been seeking to move the Futenma base from Ginowan to the less-populated Henoko coastal area of Nago.

The people of Okinawa, however, have been demanding the Futenma base to be relocated outside the prefecture.