Japanese mayor seeks cancellation of US military drill: Report

By Berk Kutay Gokmen

ISTANBUL (AA) - A mayor in western Japan on Tuesday sought the cancellation of an upcoming US military drill, Jiji Press reported.

The mayor of Iwakuni in Yamaguchi Prefecture requested that Japan encourage the US military to cancel an upcoming field carrier landing practice (FCLP) in the city.

During a meeting with Japanese Defense Minister Gen. Nakatani at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo, Mayor Yoshihiko Fukuda said: "Conducting a drill that causes deafening noise will never win the understanding of local residents."

The FCLP is a training exercise where carrier-based aircraft practice landing on a land runway designed to simulate a carrier deck.

Typically, the US military conducts this drill on Iwoto, a remote island near Tokyo also known as Iwo Jima.

After a volcanic eruption occurred on the island on Sept. 1, the US informed Tokyo that the drill would instead take place at the US military's Iwakuni base from Wednesday to Sept. 26.

In response to Fukuda's request, Nakatani said: "The drill is important in strengthening US deterrence and response capabilities."

Japan, a long-standing ally of the US in the Asia-Pacific since World War II, hosts thousands of American soldiers in addition to military bases and weaponry.