US Forces Japan officials say that news articles claiming that Yokota AB, Japan, will give up control of some airspace to aid Japan’s growing commercial aviation industry are premature, reports Stars and Stripes. US and Japanese are in negotiation over a range of transformation issues, ceding back additional airspace is just one factor. A USFK spokeswoman told Stars and Stripes that Yokota had adjusted its airspace five times since 1972 to accommodate increased civilian activity.
The Air Force overall reduced its size by 120 aircraft in fiscal year 2021, but kept about the same number of fighter, bomber and attack aircraft, according to data supplied by the service. The F-35 fleet saw the biggest increase while the B-1B bomber fleet saw the largest decline.