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Okinawa school pupils sought shelter from US aircraft 700 times since falling window scare

The fallen window frame of U.S. military aircraft is seen on the ground at an elementary school in Ginowan, Okinawa  - Okinawa Times via Kyodo News
The fallen window frame of U.S. military aircraft is seen on the ground at an elementary school in Ginowan, Okinawa - Okinawa Times via Kyodo News

Pupils at a school in Japan’s southern Okinawa have sought shelter from US military aircraft nearly 700 times since an incident a year ago when a helicopter window fell into its schoolyard.

Osamu Tobaru, the principal at Futenma No. 2 Elementary School, told local media that he was reduced to tears by children having to evacuate from the outdoor playground numerous time during gym classes due to safety concerns caused by overhead aircraft.

Describing the fact that US aircraft is permitted to fly above the school – which is located next to a US military base -  as a violation of children’s right to an education, Mr Tobaru told Jiji news agency: “I cried when I saw the children evacuating.”

It was on December 13 last year that the school discovered that a window from a CH-53E large transport helicopter, deployed to US Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Ginowan, had fallen into its schoolyard.

Since then, school officials have installed shelters, surveillance cameras and security guards in order to ease security concerns over passing aircraft among parents and teachers alike, according to reports.

A Japanese policeman stands guard at the entrance gate of the elementary school in Ginowan, Okinawa - Credit: AFP
A Japanese policeman stands guard at the entrance gate of the elementary school in Ginowan, Okinawa Credit: AFP

Mr Tobaru also described how evacuations at the school have taken place a total of 693 times in the past year, recalling how children had to take shelter five times during one gym class.

Highlighting the deep-rooted challenges of balancing safety concerns with giving the children a stable education, he added: “We are conflicted because we don’t know what is right.”

Okinawa has long hosted the bulk of US military forces stationed in Japan, with tensions regularly flaring with local communities over issues ranging from noise pollution to safety concerns.

A decades-long controversy has also surrounded plans to relocate the Ginowan military facility to the more remote coastal district Henoko, with many local politicians and residents strongly opposed to the move.

Central government is expected to recommence work on the relocation on Friday following various delays due to legal challenges from local officials, with the placement of soil in land scheduled to begin.

When asked about the base relocation, Mr Tobaru told Jiji: “Why only Okinawa?” He also urged the government to think more considerately about the impact of heavy US presence on the island, which hosts around 70 per cent of US military in Japan.