在一架美国F-16战斗机向距美日联合空军基地数英里以外的私人财产投掷一枚练习炸弹后，日本要求得到答案。这是美国向其亚太最高盟友进行大规模部署的漫长而混乱的历史上的最新事件。

虽然没有人员伤亡的报道，但人们认为缺乏透明度和潜在的严重伤害仍然引起青森省和东京中央政府之间的紧张关系。

该事件发生在周三，距离青森三泽空军基地约三英里，但据报道，美军直到第二天才通知日方，引起当地社区的进一步愤怒和媒体的质疑。

国防部长河野太郎在新闻发布会上对记者说:“我们立即对美方提出了强烈抗议，并要求提供进一步的信息和有效的措施来防止这种情况再次发生。”。“涉及模拟弹药的训练将暂时中止。模拟弹药被回收，幸运的是，没有人受伤，但我认为这是一个非常严重的事件。”

他否认了有人试图掩盖这一事件的猜测，称“当地的理解是维持和加强日美联盟以及美军在日本稳定存在的主要前提。”科诺说，“第一步是提供这一信息，同时，最大限度地考虑安全和不发生事故是很重要的。”

 

11月8日，日本青森总督米姆拉·新野就东京对最近一次事件的反应时间向日本国防部长河野太郎提出投诉。在这次事件中，一架美国F-16飞机在离三泽空军基地数英里以外的私人财产上投下了一枚非武装炸弹。

青森总督米姆拉·辛戈星期五晚些时候会见了河野，表达了当地的关切，导致部长为政府反应迟缓道歉。据报道，他告诉米姆拉，大约500磅重的非武装装置“非常重，所以可能会造成重大事故”Mainichi报纸。

“这将引起该地区人民的极大关注，并加剧对美国军队安全管理的不信任，”米姆拉告诉科诺。

美国空军在周四发表的一份声明中提供了自己对该事件的描述，并将其归因于第35战斗机联队公共事务部。

“周三晚些时候，驻扎在三泽空军基地的一架F-16战斗机在距离指定训练范围5公里的地方发射了一个训练装置。该装置是一个惰性物体，没有损坏或受伤的报告。事件的原因仍在调查中，”声明说。“第35战斗机联队非常重视东道国和当地社区的安全。”

“我们已经暂停投放惰性物体，作为我们训练任务的一部分，直到另行通知，我们正在与相关方合作，以回收该装置，”它补充道。“我们致力于以负责任的方式履行我们的使命，我们将与日本社会合作，确保我们对手的福祉。”

 

9月8日，在日本三泽空军基地举行的2019年三泽空军节上，一名美国太平洋空军F-16战斗机猎鹰示范队飞行员在飞行。虽然这几十年来两国都只是寻求加强联盟，但涉及美国军事人员的麻烦历史激怒了日本当地社区。

自二战击败日本以来，美国一直在日本保持着持续、广泛的军事存在，其中大部分在冲绳省。尽管华盛顿和东京几十年来一直保持着牢固的联盟关系，但涉及美国人员的数十起事故和犯罪给这一部署带来了争议，并疏远了当地社区。

除了设备频繁坠落从飞机和偶尔涉及酒精的misbehavior⁠—often事件来看，美国人员卷入了一些攻击,强奸和谋杀多年来以日本公民为目标。

尽管如此，美国和日本认为，面对朝鲜、中国和俄罗斯等国构成的明显威胁，部署这些人员对于保持强大态势至关重要。华盛顿和东京都辩称，他们积极努力促进美国军事人员和日本当地人之间的关系。

一名日本政府官员告诉记者新闻周刊9月份，许多当地社区“与这些基地的指挥官有着非常好的关系”，在那里有时会举办英语课和体育赛事等活动。当被问及有关美国军事人员和日本公民之间事件的协议时，这位官员只是简单地说:“当一些不该发生的事情发生时，我们必须要求他们阻止这种事情发生。”

JAPAN ISSUES 'SEVERE PROTEST' AFTER U.S. F-16 DROPS 'SIMULATED' BOMB ON PRIVATE LAND

Japan is demanding answers after a U.S. F-16 fighter jet dropped a practice bomb on private property miles away from a joint U.S.-Japanese airbase, the latest incident in a long, troubled history regarding the large U.S. deployment to its top Asia-Pacific ally.

While no injuries were reported, a perceived lack of transparency and the potential for grave harm nevertheless provoked tensions between the Aomori province and the central government in Tokyo.

The event occurred Wednesday, about three miles from the Misawa Air Base in Aomori, but the U.S. military reportedly did not notify the Japanese side until the following day, eliciting further anger from the local community and questions from the media.

"We immediately issued a severe protest against the U.S. side and requested to be provided with further information and effective measures to prevent any recurrence," Defense Minister Kono Taro told reporters at a press conference. "Training involving simulated munitions will be suspended for the time being. The mock munition was recovered and, fortunately, no one was injured, but I think it is a very serious incident."

He denied speculation that an effort was made to cover up the incident, arguing that "local understanding is a major premise for maintaining and strengthening the Japan-U.S. alliance and for the stable presence of U.S. forces in Japan." Kono said that "the first step is to provide this information, and at the same time, it is important that safety is given maximum consideration and that no accidents occur."

 

Japan's Aomori Governor Mimura Shingo issues a complaint to Japanese Defense Minister Kono Taro over Tokyo's response time to a recent incident in which a U.S. F-16 dropped an unarmed bomb on private property miles away from Misawa Air Base, November 8.

Aomori Governor Mimura Shingo met later Friday with Kono to express local concern, leading the minister to apologize for the delay in government response. He told Mimura that the roughly 500-pound unarmed device "was very heavy, so it could have caused a major accident," according to the Mainichi newspaper.

"It will cause great concern among people in the prefecture and amplify distrust of the safety management of U.S. forces," Mimura told Kono.

The U.S. Air Force offered its own account of the incident in a statement issued Thursday and attributed to the 35th Fighter Wing Public Affairs.

"An F-16 Fighting Falcon stationed at Misawa Air Base released a training device 5 Kilometers off from the designated training range late Wednesday. The device is an inert object and there are no reports of damage or injuries. The cause of the incident is still under investigation," the statement said. "The 35th Fighter Wing takes the safety and security of our host-nation and local community very seriously."

"We have suspended dropping inert objects as part of our training sorties until further notice and we are working with the appropriate parties to recover the device," it added. "We are committed to performing our mission in a responsible manner and we will work with the Japanese community to ensure the well-being of our counter-parts."

 

A pilot with the U.S. Pacific Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon Demonstration Team flies during the Misawa Air Fest 2019 at Misawa Air Base, Japan, September 8. While both countries have only sought to strengthen their alliance over the decades, a troubled history of incidents involving U.S. military personnel has angered local communities in Japan.

The U.S. has maintained a constant, extensive military presence in Japan since defeating the country in World War II, much of it in Okinawa province. While Washington and Tokyo have maintained a robust alliance in the decades since, scores of accidents and crimes involving U.S. personnel have brought controversy to this deployment and alienated local communities.

In addition to the frequent falling of equipment from aircraft and occasional misbehavior⁠—often involving alcohol, U.S. personnel have been implicated in a number of assaults, rapes and murders targeting Japanese citizens over the years.

Still, the U.S. and Japan view the placement of these personnel as vital toward maintaining a powerful posture in the face of perceived threats posed by the likes of North Korea, China and Russia. Both Washington and Tokyo have argued they actively try to foster relations between U.S. military personnel and Japanese locals.

One Japanese government official told Newsweek in September that many local communities "have very good relationships with the commanders of these bases," where activities such as English classes and sporting events are sometimes held. Asked about the protocol regarding incidents between U.S. military personnel and Japanese citizens, the official simply said: "When something happens that shouldn't, we have to request that they prevent that from happening."