OSAKA -- The Japan Air Self-Defense Force (ASDF)'s Blue Impulse aerobatics team is set to fly above areas around the Osaka Expo venue on its opening day on April 13. The team's jets will be stationed at Kansai International Airport from several days ahead, sources close to the matter have revealed to the Mainichi Shimbun.

While the move is expected to be hailed by locals including those who have voluntarily campaigned for hosting the Blue Impulse jets at the airport, the plan to deploy Self-Defense Force aircraft at an airport in principle for civilian use may spark controversy.

The Blue Impulse team, formally the "11th Squadron," belongs to the 4th Air Wing at the ASDF Matsushima Base in Higashimatsushima, Miyagi Prefecture. As a dedicated unit to publicize the ASDF's presence and maneuvering technology, the Blue Impulse team has exhibited spectacular acrobatic flights at national events and ASDF air festivals. In Osaka, the team performed for the 1970 Osaka Expo and the 1990 International Garden and Greenery Exposition.

According to sources, Kansai International Airport was one of several candidate airports in the Kansai region considered for the takeoff and landing of the Blue Impulse squadron for its Expo opening day flight. The major offshore airport apparently was judged to be optimal for its proximity to the Expo site on the artificial island of Yumeshima and over few concerns about noise pollution.

The Blue Impulse jets are planned to be stationed at the airport from several days before the opening day and will make their flights around Yumeshima at around noon on April 13. Proposals have also been made to have the team fly over the "Tower of the Sun," the symbol of the 1970 Osaka Expo, and several other landmarks in Osaka Prefecture.

Kansai International Airport was inaugurated in 1994 by reclaiming areas off Osaka Bay to partially take over the functions of Osaka Itami Airport, which was plagued by an increasingly serious noise pollution problem. According to sources including operator Kansai Airports, there were instances of foreign dignitaries aboard military cargo aircraft using Kansai International Airport to attend international conferences in Japan.

(Japanese original by Yujiro Futamura and Tomoe Saito, Osaka City News Department)