US fighters land in Japan ahead of Panetta's Asia trip
Staff Reporter 2012-09-14 12:51 (GMT+8)
Japanese officials prepare to board a MV-22 Osprey in Washington DC on Aug. 3. (Photo/Xinhua)
Two US F-22 stealth fighters landed at a US air base in the south of Japan's main island of Honshu on Wednesday ahead of the visit by Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta to Japan and China amid escalating tensions in the region over the disputed Diaoyutai (Diaoyu or Senkaku) islands in the East China Sea, report Japanese media outlets.
Fuji News Network said two F-22 Raptors suddenly landed at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni around 1pm on Wednesday, The fighters, which are on active duty at the US air base in Alaska, were immediately led by ambulances to a hangar. As the United States deploys six F-22s at the Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, the unexpected move is seen by some observers as a deployment to cope with the current tensions in East Asia, though the Japanese media outlet called it an emergency landing.
Jiji Press citing informed sources said on Friday that Panetta plans to visit Japan for talks with his counterpart Satoshi Morimoto on Monday about the escalating tensions with China following the Japanese government's nationalization of three of the Senkaku islands, which are also claimed by Taiwan and China.
Another issue on the agenda for the meeting is the planned deployment of 22 MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft in Okinawa, a plan which has met with strong opposition from local residents who believe the deployment would be unsafe.
Panetta also plans to meet with Japan's foreign minister, Koichiro Gemba, the sources added. Japanese media believe Panetta will also discuss strategies to handle China ahead of his planned trip to Beijing next week.
