News>Misawa air show highlights 50 years of Japan-U.S. cooperation
Photos
Capt. Jeffrey Schneider, a Pacific Air Forces Aerial Demonstration Team pilot, performs a flyby during the Misawa Air Festival Sept. 19, 2010, at Misawa Air Base, Japan. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Chad Strohmeyer)
Maj. Gen. Hideo Maehara (left), Japan Air Self-Defense Force 3rd Air Wing commander, and Col. Michael Rothstein, 35th Fighter Wing commander, announced the start of the Misawa Air Festival at Misawa Air Base, Japan, Sept. 19, 2010. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Russell McBride)
An F-16 Fighting Falcon pilot from the 13th Fighter Squadron autographs a fan’s T-shirt at the Misawa Air Festival Sept. 19, 2010, at Misawa Air Base, Japan. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Kelly White)
Senior Airman Benjamin Fisher (left) and Staff Sgt. William Massey load munitions onto an F-16 Flying Falcon during a weapons loading demonstration at the Misawa Air Festival Sept. 19, 2010, at Misawa Air Base, Japan. Sergeant Massey and Airmen Fisher are both assigned to the 35th Maintenance Operations Squadron. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Russell McBride)
The Japan Air Self-Defense Force Blue Impulse aerial demonstration team flies in formation during the Misawa Air Festival Sept. 19, 2010, at Misawa Air Base, Japan. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Russell McBride)
by Tech. Sgt. Kelly White
35th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
9/20/2010 - MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan (AFNS) -- Japan Air Self-Defense Force and U.S. Air Force aviators took advantage of the 2010 Misawa Air Festival to commemorate half a century of the nations' shared pledge to regional and world peace, stability and prosperity.
The show began with Maj. Gen. Hiroaki Maehara, the JASDF 3rd Air Wing commander, and Col. Michael Rothstein, the 35th Fighter Wing commander, showcasing a JASDF F-2 and an F-16 Fighting Falcon with the Japan-U.S. Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security 50th anniversary logo displayed on the nose of the aircraft.
"It's a great day today," Colonel Rothstein said. "The air festival is not just about the flightline, all the airplanes out on the ramp and all the great flying we get to see. It's also about the spirit of friendship and cooperation between our two nations. It's a great opportunity to showcase the professionalism of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force and the strength of the relationship between Japan and the U.S. Air Force."
The initial basis for Japan's security relations with the U.S. was provided by the 1952 Mutual Security Assistance Pact. The nations discussed revisions to the agreement in 1959, resulting in the pact being replaced in 1960, when the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security was signed Jan. 19, 1960.
An estimated 100,000 people attended the festival.
