Residents Near U.S. Okinawa Air Base Sue Over Noise
Environment News Service
April 28, 2011
Thousands of people who live near the U.S. Kadena Air Base on Okinawa in southern Japan, today filed a lawsuit seeking damages over aircraft noise and a ban on night flights.
Roughly 22,000 residents from five municipalities filed the complaint against the Japanese government with the Naha District Court, according to Japan’s public broadcaster, NHK TV.
Claiming that the aircraft noise disturbs their sleep and causes hearing problems, the plaintiffs are seeking about US$540 million in damages. They are also demanding that flights during the night and early morning hours be banned.
Kadena Air Base is the hub of U.S. airpower in the Pacific, and home to the U.S. Air Force’s largest operational combat wing overseas in terms of the number of aircraft assigned.
About 100 aircraft are based at Kadena, including a fleet of 81 combat-ready aircraft, “to perform air superiority, aerial refueling, airborne warning and control, and combat search and rescue functions,” according to the U.S. Air Force.
The plaintiffs will pursue the Japanese government’s responsibility for providing the base to U.S. forces. …
Read on: www.ens-newswire.com/ens/apr2011/2011-04-28-02.html
