Japan, U.S. struggle to find crashed stealth fighter jet and its ‘secrets’ – Nationwide
One week after an F-35A stealth fighter jet crashed off the northeastern coast of Japan, U.S. and Japanese military vessels are struggling to find the wreckage and protect its valuable “secrets.” The Japanese jet vanished from the radar on April 9 over the Pacific as it was conducting a training mission with three other aircraft some 135 kilometers east of Misawa, Aomori Prefecture. A defense ministry spokesman told AFP that the remains of the jet’s tail had been found but they were still hunting in vain for the rest of the fuselage, as well as the pilot. Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force has also dispatched an unmanned submersible vessel.
Separately, the U.S. military has dispatched one military aircraft and one vessel to join the mission, said the official, adding that the search has not yet been scaled back. Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya said the crash would be discussed at a meeting with his U.S. counterpart in Washington on Friday, which will also involve the two allies’ foreign ministers.
Japan’s defense ministry confirmed it had not spotted any suspicious vessels or aircraft from a third country near the site. The Air Self-Defense Force announced a commission last week to study the cause of the accident but it remains unclear exactly what happened to the plane. U.S. defense contractor Lockheed Martin touts the hi-tech fighter as “virtually undetectable” and says it allows the U.S. and its allies to dominate the skies with its “unmatched capability and unprecedented situational awareness.” Japan is deploying F-35As, each of which costs more than 10 billion yen ($90 million), to replace its aging F-4 fighters. The jet was one of 13 F-35As deployed at the Misawa Air Base, according to the defense ministry. The remaining 12 fighters have been grounded for the time being, the ministry said. The F35-A jets are a key part of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s efforts to upgrade the nation’s military capacity to meet changing power dynamics in East Asia, with China rapidly modernising its military. Over the next decade, Japan plans to purchase as many as 105 F35-As and 42 units of other high-capacity jets, most likely the F35-B variant.
Security to be tightened in central Tokyo in preparation for new era – Tokyo
Thousands of police officers will be deployed to enhance security in central Tokyo, as areas surrounding the Imperial Palace are expected to overflow with people celebrating the beginning of Japan’s new era on May 1. Extra security measures to tackle potential threats and accidents will be implemented during Emperor Akihito’s abdication on April 30 through the ascension of Crown Prince Naruhito on May 1.
Ceremonies for the abdication and the ascension will take place at the palace during the two days, with well-wishers allowed entry to congratulate the new emperor on May 4. Extra security measures on the two days as well as May 4 around the palace will include the dispatch of the Emergency Response Team and a force for handling drones. The police will also increase car inspections and patrols for suspicious objects. With many restaurants in the capital planning countdown events from April 30 to May 1 to celebrate the change of era, large crowds are expected to flock to the Shibuya shopping and entertainment district, similar to those seen at Halloween and New Year.
The beginning of the Reiwa era is expected to differ from Emperor Akihito’s ascension and the Heisei era 30 years ago, when the country was mourning the death of his father Emperor Hirohito, posthumously known as Emperor Showa. In order to prevent potential accidents, the police will restrict access to the plaza in front of the Imperial Palace from 6 p.m. on April 30 until 5 a.m. the next day. However, a large number of people are expected to line the streets to watch Crown Prince Naruhito as he moves to the Imperial Palace from the Akasaka Estate.
Renovated Hiroshima A-bomb museum building opens with new exhibits – Hiroshima
The main building of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum reopened Thursday after undergoing a two-year renovation, with some additional photos and victims’ belongings put on display. Themed the “Reality of the Atomic Bombing,” the reopened building focuses on using personal items to introduce the lives of some individuals who fell victim to the U.S. atomic bombing in 1945. By putting the personal belongings — like clothing, shoes, photos and drawings — on display, the museum hopes to make a larger impact on visitors than would be achieved by using explanatory text alone.
A section featuring American prisoners of war and other foreign victims who were in the western Japan city at the time of the blast was also added. There are now a total of 538 items on display in the museum’s main building, roughly the same as before the renovation, but the number of photos increased from 112 to 173. One photo features a life-sized image of a girl standing in an area of devastation, other monochrome photos show severely burned victims.
The main building of the museum had been closed since the renovation work started in April 2017, with the aim of both exhibition renewal and quake resistance reinforcement. It was the third large-scale renewal of the museum which opened in 1955. About 1.52 million people, including a record-high 430,000 from overseas, visited the museum in the year through March.
The museum, composed of the main building and an east building, was designed by the late Japanese architect Kenzo Tange and was designated as an important cultural asset of Japan in 2006. Paper cranes made by U.S. President Barack Obama, who visited the museum in 2016 while in office, are displayed in the east building.
