Japan's planned SDF dispatch to Futenma amid copter mishaps hits snag

Japan's plan to send Self-Defense Force members to a U.S. Marine base on Okinawa following a couple of U.S. helicopter mishaps earlier this year has hit a snag due to U.S. reluctance, a Japanese government source said Saturday.The move to send SDF members to U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in February was aimed at allaying safety concerns fanned by a spate of emergency landings involving U.S. military helicopters in the southern island prefecture since January, the source said.But a senior Japanese Defense Ministry official said they have not heard from the U.S. side since receiving a…READ FULL ARTICLE