TOKYO, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- Okinawa Governor Takeshi Onaga on Monday expressed his dissatisfaction at the central government for allowing accident-prone Osprey aircraft to fly in Japan just days after a fatal crash off the coast of Australia.
In a meeting with newly-appointed Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera in Okinawa's capital of Naha, Onaga said that Japan backing the United States' decision for the tilt-rotor planes to be flown here was not in the interests of protecting people's lives.
"The response was extremely disappointing from the viewpoint of protecting the lives of the people in the prefecture and in the country," Onaga was quoted by local media as telling Onodera.
Onaga's remarks follow Okinawa Deputy Governor Moritake Tomikawa on Aug. 8 lodging a strong protest with U.S. forces for flying an Osprey in Japan's southernmost prefecture.
Tomikawa's protest came on the heels of the central government requesting a halt to flights, following the crash in Australia on Aug. 5, which killed three U.S. Marines.
Onodera, for his part, told Onaga that the transport plane is "very important for our country's security" and promised Onaga that he would repeatedly implore the U.S. to fly the planes safely.
The U.S. Marine Corps on Wednesday decided the Ospreys were safe to be flown following an investigation.
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