米側にＦ１６飛行停止要求へ　タンク投下受け防衛省

　防衛省は１日、青森空港に緊急着陸した米軍三沢基地（青森県三沢市）所属のＦ１６戦闘機が着陸前に燃料タンクを投下したことを受け、飛行の安全が確認されるまで同機を飛ばさないよう米側に求める方針を決めた。
　これに関し、松野博一官房長官は同日の記者会見で、米軍に対し「遺憾の意」を伝えたことを明らかにした。原因究明と再発防止も求めた。
　松野氏は「このような事案の発生は地元の方々に大きな不安を与えるあってはならないものだ」と批判。「日米で連携して安全管理の徹底を図りたい」と語った。（2021/12/01-13:30）

Japan's Defense Ministry plans to ask the U.S. military to ground its F-16 fighter jets until their safety is confirmed, after a U.S. military plane of the same model dropped two fuel tanks in northeastern Japan, informed sources said Wednesday.
   Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said Wednesday that the government had conveyed to the U.S. military its view that the incident was regrettable. It also asked the U.S. side to find the cause of the incident and implement preventive measures.
   "An incident like this, which worries local residents, should never occur," Matsuno, Japan's top government spokesman, told a press conference. "We'll cooperate with the United States to ensure thorough safety management."
   At around 6 p.m. Tuesday (9 a.m. GMT), the F-16 fighter jet from the U.S. military's Misawa Air Base in the northeastern Japan prefecture of Aomori dropped the two tanks before making an emergency landing at Aomori Airport and one of the tanks was found in an urban area in the town of Fukaura in Aomori.
   The tanks were dropped in an apparent effort to prevent fire during an emergency landing.