Authorities complain to USA over unannounced fighter exercises

The Japanese city of Iwakuni, to the southwest of Hiroshima, protested to the US military on Saturday about landing exercises by fighter aircraft on Friday night, which it said began before the local prefecture of Yamaguchi had received the relevant notification, the Japanese news agency Kyodo reported.

Officials said seven F/A-18 Hornet fighters from the Independence aircraft carrier began the exercise at the US Marine base in Iwakuni 21 minutes before the prefecture, which also lodged complaints with the US military, had received any notification, the agency said.

They said they had received 242 noise complaints from local residents, and that the 226 "touch-and-go" drills observed on Friday lasted until just before midnight, whereas previous exercises have ended at nine in the evening.

The exercises resumed shortly before noon on Saturday, despite calls from the prefecture and city for them to be stopped, the agency said.

It said the US Navy usually notifies the Japanese authorities of exercises the day before they are due to begin.

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