HIGASHI-MATSUSHIMA, Miyagi Prefecture--A renowned acrobatic flight team of the Air Self-Defense Force has returned to the Matsushima Air Base here for the first time in two years, drawing much attention from local residents who expect it to stimulate the economy of the quake-ravaged region.
HIGASHI-MATSUSHIMA, Miyagi Prefecture--A renowned acrobatic flight team of the Air Self-Defense Force has returned to the Matsushima Air Base here for the first time in two years, drawing much attention from local residents who expect it to stimulate the economy of the quake-ravaged region.
“Its return represents steady recovery from the disaster,” said Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera at a commemoration ceremony held on March 31. “I hope (the team members) will train hard and rise to the expectations of local people and the entire country.”
The Blue Impulse flight team, consisting of seven T-4 training aircraft and 60 pilots and mechanics, had moved its base to the ASDF’s Ashiya Air Base in Fukuoka Prefecture after the Matsushima base was swamped by a tsunami on March 11, 2011, following the Great East Japan Earthquake.
The two-meter high tsunami inundated the entire base, including 18 F-2 fighter aircraft, but by chance the Blue Impulse team was visiting the Ashiya base at the time and escaped damage.
Return of the local area’s “face” has made an impact on residents.
Fumiko Takeda, 62, who has been living in temporary housing since her house was swept away by the tsunami, said she used to think the Blue Impulse team was just “noisy,” but a year after the disaster she became worried, “Will the Blue really come back?”
Following the disaster, local residents collected more than 15,000 signatures to call for an early return of the Blue Impulse. They submitted the petition to the Defense Ministry in November.
“From the viewpoint of economic recovery, the Blue hold potential,” said Futoshi Aizawa, 33, a resident of Higashi-Matsushima’s Omagarihama district, which is well known for its
Between 50,000 and 80,000 people from across Japan visit the city during the annual Air Festival to watch the Blue Impulse flight exhibition. For the city, which has a population of 40,000, the summer festival is an essential event to attract visitors.
“(What is important is that) we attract as many people as possible to the city and make them aware of our local specialties,” Aizawa said.
Aizawa and other