Nago Mayor Taketoyo Toguchi, left, hands a letter of protest to Okinawa Defense Bureau Director General Masaru Murai at Nago City Hall on March 9, 2026, over the emergency landing of a U.S. military helicopter on a baseball field the previous week. (Kyodo)
NAHA, Japan (Kyodo) — Nago Mayor Taketoyo Toguchi lodged a protest with the central government on Monday after a U.S. military helicopter made an emergency landing on a baseball field while a youth team was practicing, demanding that U.S. forces stop flying over residential areas or near schools.
In handing the written protest to Okinawa Defense Bureau Director General Masaru Murai, Toguchi said, “One misstep and it could have led to a major disaster involving human lives. This is unacceptable.”
The UH-1 helicopter landed on the field around 8:20 p.m. on Friday after a warning light came on during training. It left after about two hours following an inspection and returned to U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Okinawa’s Ginowan with no injuries or damage reported.
Murai said he would personally urge the U.S. forces to do everything to ensure safety.
At a press conference in Tokyo, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said Monday that the Defense Ministry had requested the U.S. military to conduct thorough inspections of its aircraft.
“The operation of U.S. military aircraft must be based on the premise of ensuring safety,” Kihara said. “The government will continue to urge the U.S. side to take every possible safety measure.”
Separately, Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki told reporters he plans to demand that the U.S. military ensure such incidents do not happen again.
AloJapan.com