The prefectural government of Hiroshima is asking the US military to clarify if some of its fighter jets conducted aerial training maneuvers that released flares above part of the prefecture, alarming local residents.
A number of people in Kitahiroshima Town captured video footage on Wednesday of what appeared to be flares coming from US military aircraft.
One of the residents says 2 aircraft were carrying out training exercises above their town for about 30 minutes. He said he sees fighters flying overhead several times a month, but this is the first time in about 20 years that he’s spotted what looks like live flares.
Officials of the prefecture and the town believe the flares may be aerial infrared countermeasures used to distract heat-seeking missiles from the target aircraft.
The officials visited the local bureau of Japan’s Defense Ministry in Hiroshima City on Monday and asked the ministry to confirm facts with the US side.
They said the ministry’s official replied they are aware of what had been spotted, and have already asked the US military.
The development comes as growing numbers of people in and around Kitahiroshima register complaints about US combat aircraft training at low altitudes.
The prefecture has asked the central government that such US military exercises be suspended.
A prefectural official, Koshi Yamamoto, told NHK that anxiety is spreading among local residents as the exercise was conducted right above where they live.
He said he wants a detailed explanation, especially as this latest incident follows the US military’s recent move of a carrier air wing from Atsugi in eastern Japan to the Iwakuni air station in a neighboring prefecture.
A Japan Air Self-Defense official says its aircraft normally conduct training that releases flares off the coast to avoid areas where people live.
Source and image: NHK
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