
Kyodo News Digest: Dec. 4, 2023
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A fatal crash of a U.S. military Osprey airplane in Japan late last month has reignited safety concerns among local citizens, further fueled by Washington continuing to fly the tilt-rotor aircraft despite a request by Tokyo to ground them. Pundits say the United States should respond to Japan's demand for better operations at its military bases in the Asian country, while Tokyo should insist that Washington halt Osprey flights and provide detailed information related to the latest incident. They warn that if the poor handling of the accident by the two governments erodes public support for their alliance, it could weaken their deterrence in the remote islands of southwestern Japan amid China's growing military assertiveness in nearby waters. File photo taken in September 2018 shows a CV-22 Osprey aircraft at the U.S. military's Yokota Air Base in the western suburbs of Tokyo. (Kyodo) The crashed aircraft, one of the six U.S. CV-22 transport aircraft assigned to Yokota Air Base in the western suburbs of Tokyo, disappeared from radar on Wednesday afternoon off the island of Yakushima in Kagoshima prefecture, southwestern Japan. The U.S. Air Force said the Osprey, which was carrying out routine training, had eight airmen on board, with the cause of the accident still unknown. On the same day, the Japan Coast Guard confirmed the death of one crew member, marking the first-ever fatality in Japan resulting from an accident involving Ospreys. The fate of the remaining crew members is still unknown. "Clearly, a thorough investigation regarding the safety of the aircraft is necessary," said Mike Mochizuki, an associate professor of political science and international affairs at the George Washington University in the U.S. capital. "If the United States does not comply with" Tokyo's request to ensure the safety of Osprey flights, it will undermine the "Japanese public's trust and support" for the bilateral alliance, the expert in relations between the two countries said. Following the crash, Tokyo called on Washington to suspend Osprey flights, except for search and rescue operations, until safety is confirmed. The Japan Self-Defense Forces have decided to refrain from flying its V-22 Ospreys "for the time being." A U.S. military Osprey aircraft flies over an urban area of Ginowan in the southern Japan island prefecture of Okinawa on Dec. 1, 2023. One of the U.S. military's Ospreys crashed near a small Japanese island two days before, prompting Tokyo to request they be grounded temporarily. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo The U.S. Forces Japan, meanwhile, has effectively ignored the demand by continuing to operate Ospreys other than CV-22s. Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno, the top government spokesman, has expressed "concerns" that the United States has continued to fly Ospreys "without sufficient explanation about safety" despite repeated requests from Tokyo. Takuma Nakashima, a professor of Japanese political and diplomatic history at Kyushu University, said, "In terms of national security, it is very detrimental" for Tokyo and Washington "to find themselves in a situation of mutual distrust." He added Japan and the United States should avoid damaging the credibility of their alliance through routine communication, especially as they are ramping up their defense capabilities to counter China's military buildup in the Indo-Pacific region. Ospreys, capable of taking off and landing like helicopters but cruising like planes, have a track record of accidents and mishaps in Japan and abroad. In 2016, an MV-22, the variant used by the U.S. Marine Corps, crash-landed off Okinawa in southern Japan, injuring two crew members. Crashes in Australia in 2017 and August this year both resulted in three fatalities. U.S. forces in Japan commenced deployment of six MV-22s at its Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Okinawa in 2012. Currently, 24 MV-22s are stationed at the base in the prefecture that hosts the bulk of U.S. military facilities in the Asian nation. On Thursday, Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki said it is "very regrettable" that U.S. Ospreys keep operating while the cause of the accident has yet to be identified. The mayor of the city, where the Futenma base is located, condemned the move for "amplifying fears among citizens." A Japan Coast Guard patrol ship searches for a U.S. military Osprey aircraft off Yakushima Island in the southwestern Japan prefecture of Kagoshima on Dec. 1, 2023, after it crashed two days earlier. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo Tokyo should continue demanding Washington explain the latest accident swiftly and accurately, given that the smooth operation of U.S. bases in Japan hinges on to what extent people living near them understand the necessity of their functions, Nakashima said. The experts also pointed out that the crash could delay the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force's plan to relocate its V-22 Osprey aircraft from a temporary deployment site in Kisarazu, near Tokyo, to Saga in the southwestern area of the country by 2025. The postponement would affect the strategies of Japan and the United States to tackle China's military rise, as the relocation is part of Tokyo's efforts to strengthen defense capabilities, together with its ally Washington, in the southwestern Nansei island chain. The Nansei chain includes the Tokyo-controlled, Beijing-claimed uninhabited Senkaku Islands, around which Chinese coast guard vessels have repeatedly entered the waters near the islets, although Japan has continuously lodged protests over the issue. Matsuno said Japan has no intention of changing the relocation plan even after the fatal incident, while emphasizing that the government will take local safety concerns "seriously."
Japanese great Shinji Ono retired from professional football Sunday as his J-League first-division side Consadole Sapporo lost 2-0 at home to Urawa Reds in the final round of the season. The former Samurai Blue and Feyenoord midfielder, hailed as a footballing genius and one of the most technically gifted players Japan has produced, was the oldest player in the Japanese top flight at 44. Consadole Sapporo's Shinji Ono (C) takes a free-kick against Urawa Reds during the first half of a J-League first-division match at Sapporo Dome on Dec. 3, 2023. (Kyodo) Making his first J1 start in 11 years, Ono donned the captain's armband, along with the No. 44 jersey matching his age, in a 22-minute swan-song appearance against one of his former clubs. He shook hands with players on both teams before exiting the Sapporo Dome pitch to rapturous applause. While he may have slowed down, Ono still showed he had a silky touch with a number of incisive passes, including one that led to a 19th-minute free-kick outside the box, which he duly took before coming off for Supachok Sarachat. "It was a short time with 20 minutes on the pitch, but I feel I could show what I'm capable of," Ono said at the post-match ceremony, which included video messages from former Feyenoord teammate Robin van Persie and former Japan midfielder Junichi Inamoto. "I also want to send a word to my mother, who passed away on Oct. 17. Thank you for giving birth to me and letting me meet this wonderful thing called football." Consadole Sapporo's Shinji Ono greets fans in the stands after his retirement ceremony at Sapporo Dome on Dec. 3, 2023. (Kyodo) Consadole Sapporo's Shinji Ono (C) leads his team onto the pitch ahead of a J-League first-division match against Urawa Reds at Sapporo Dome on Dec. 3, 2023. (Kyodo) Sapporo finished the season 12th while Asian champions Urawa ended fourth on 57 points, unable to overtake Sanfrecce Hiroshima, who held onto third place on 58 points with a late 1-0 win at seventh-place Avispa Fukuoka. Urawa defender Alexander Scholz scored a 58th-minute penalty after the ball hit Sapporo captain Hiroki Miyazawa's foot and deflected onto his arm. Former Japan and Porto attacker Shoya Nakajima doubled the lead in the 72nd minute, his left-footed effort going through the legs of a defender and into the bottom corner. Ono remains Japan's youngest footballer to play at a World Cup, featuring as an 18-year-old during the Samurai Blue's 1998 tournament debut in France. The Shizuoka Prefecture native joined Urawa in 1998 just months before his first World Cup, and guided his nation to the runners-up spot at the World Youth Championship, now the U-20 World Cup, in April 1999 in Nigeria, leading a "golden generation" of players including midfielders Inamoto, Yasuhito Endo and striker Naohiro Takahara. But the playmaker ruptured his left knee ligament during the Sydney Olympic qualifier against the Philippines in July of that year, an injury from which he admittedly never fully recovered. Ono nevertheless became the first Japanese player to lift a major European trophy when he won the UEFA Cup, now the Europa League, with Feyenoord in 2002, his first season after moving to the Dutch powerhouse from Urawa the previous summer. Ono played at the 2002 and 2006 World Cups and scored six goals in 56 matches in total for Japan. He returned to Urawa from Feyenoord in 2006 and won the J1, Emperor's Cup and Asian Champions League titles over the next two seasons. He had later stints at Germany's Bochum, Shimizu S-Pulse, Western Sydney Wanderers, Sapporo and Okinawa-based FC Ryukyu, then in the Japanese second tier, before he returned to Sapporo in 2021. He scored 29 goals in 207 J1 games. "I have no regrets ending my career as a professional footballer. I had many injuries but got to this day thanks to a lot of support from many people," Ono said at his press conference. "My football life doesn't end here. I want to help Japanese football in my next stage of life if I can in some way." Consadole Sapporo's Shinji Ono (2nd from L) shakes hand with Urawa Reds players before getting substituted during the first half of a J-League first-division match at Sapporo Dome on Dec. 3, 2023. (Kyodo) Consadole Sapporo's Shinji Ono is tossed in the air by teammates after his retirement ceremony at Sapporo Dome on Dec. 3, 2023. (Kyodo) Newly crowned champions Vissel Kobe wrapped up their maiden title-winning campaign with a 1-0 win at Gamba Osaka to finish on 71 points, seven clear of 2022 winners Yokohama F Marinos, who lost 3-1 at Kyoto Sanga. Marinos forward Anderson Lopes netted their only goal to bring his tally for the season to 22, making him joint top scorer with Kobe forward Yuya Osako. Yokohama FC were relegated on 29 points after losing 2-1 at Kashima Antlers, who finished fifth. Nagoya Grampus dropped to sixth after drawing 1-1 at home to Kashiwa Reysol. Kawasaki Frontale won 1-0 at Sagan Tosu, while FC Tokyo also won 1-0 at Shonan Bellmare. Albirex Niigata won by the same score against visiting Cerezo Osaka. Related coverage: Football: Verdy aim to secure promotion at scene of inaugural triumph Football: Vissel Kobe find own style, buck adversity in rise to top Football: Tearful Iniesta shares love with fans in J-League sendoff
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