Japan denounces US decision to continue F-16 operations after jets dump fuel tanks

The United States military continued the operations of its F-16 fighter jets in Japan overruling the advice of Tokyo to ground all the machines. The Japanese Defence Ministry had requested the American military to cease the operations of F-16 jets after one aircraft from the US military’s Misawa Air Base in Aomori Prefecture dropped two fuel tanks on Tuesday evening. The jet then made an emergency landing at Aomori airport.

According to a Japan Times report, the ministry is mulling to ask Washington again to suspend the flights of its F-16 fighters until it is ensured that the machines are safe for use. Japanese Defence Minister Nobuo Kishi on Wednesday said, “An incident like this that causes concern among local residents should have never happened.” Despite Japan’s request of suspending F-16 operations until the cause of the Tuesday incident and safety of the jets are confirmed, the US military resumed the flights from the same Misawa base on Thursday, stated the report citing the Japanese defence ministry. 

Sputnik stated that in a press conference, Kishi said, "This is highly regrettable". Aomori Governor Shingo Mimura was quoted as saying, “We are taking seriously the flight resumption without any form of explanation, as (the U.S. side’s) act has upset local residents and may have fueled their distrust in the U.S. military as a whole.”

Why did F-16 jets drop fuel tanks?

The tanks were dropped apparently in an effort to prevent fire during the emergency landing. The media outlet stated that one of the tanks was found on Tuesday on a highway that was close to the town office of Fakaura in Aomori Prefecture. Meanwhile, the US military had searched for the second tank which was ultimately found on Thursday. The second tank was found in a mountainous region in Fukaura, around 900 meters away from the spot where the first tank was located. The American side had said that the tank was ejected near Mount Iwaki in the city of Hirosaki and the town of Ajigasawa in Aomori Prefecture.

Back in 2015 also, an F-16 fighter jet dumped fuel tanks into the Sea of Japan. In 2018, another F-16 fighter jet dumped fuel tanks into a lake near the Misawa base which hosts the Japan Air Self-Defence Force. This base is used by the US air force and navy.

(IMAGE: AP/Representative)