The United States has blasted Japan for possibly misleading the public with its claim that U.S. military aircraft will fly over residential areas near a planned airfield in Okinawa only in emergencies that threaten the crew's life, sources said.</PARAGRAPH> <PARAGRAPH>Frowning on Japan's claim, U.S. officials have told their Japanese counterparts that U.S. aircraft could fly over houses in Nago during regular drills and also in the event of war, the sources told Kyodo News.</PARAGRAPH> <PARAGRAPH>The United States and Japan held talks on the realignment of U.S. forces in Japan on Dec. 4.</PARAGRAPH> <PARAGRAPH>A key issue in the talks was a plan to build an airfield to relocate the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma at Ginowan, farther south on Okinawa Island. The facility will have two runways in a V pattern and will be built on existing land and landfill at Camp Schwab at Nago.</PARAGRAPH> <PARAGRAPH>In the talks, both countries agreed the U.S. military will set up approach lights at two locations that will guide aircraft on two air routes, neither of which go over residential areas.</PARAGRAPH> <PARAGRAPH>Despite the agreement, the United States questioned Defense Agency chief Fumio Kyuma's recent remarks in the Diet that U.S. military aircraft might fly over residential areas when the crew's life and safety are in danger.</PARAGRAPH> <PARAGRAPH>The United States characterized Kyuma's remarks as inaccurate, the sources said.</PARAGRAPH> <PARAGRAPH>The sources quoted U.S. participants as saying that in principle, U.S. aircraft would not fly over residential areas near the planned airfield but would when necessary for drills or in the event of emergencies, and that they have the right to land and take off from the runways using air routes both far from and over homes.</PARAGRAPH> <PARAGRAPH>Japan, for its part, said normal flight routes would not extend over residential areas based on the approach light agreement.</PARAGRAPH> <PARAGRAPH>The U.S. said, however, that the position of approach lights is one thing but actual operations is another, according to the sources.</PARAGRAPH> <PARAGRAPH>The U.S. even urged Japan to inform people in Okinawa about the possibility of U.S. military aircraft flying over homes near Camp Schwab.</PARAGRAPH> <PARAGRAPH>The United States also suggested it plans to deploy aircraft, including transports and KC-130 air tankers to Schwab.</PARAGRAPH> <PARAGRAPH>Japan was reluctant to accept the plan immediately, saying it envisages that the U.S. military will deploy just the helicopters currently stationed at the Futenma base, according to the sources.</PARAGRAPH> <SUBHEAD> Car dropped into sea</SUBHEAD> <PARAGRAPH> NAHA, Okinawa Pref. –

A U.S. Marine Corps helicopter dropped a disused vehicle into the sea about 200 meters off a U.S. Army installation in the village of Yomitan, Okinawa, at around 4:15 p.m. Wednesday, the marines said.

The CH-53E helicopter ran into turbulence after taking off at the U.S. Army Torii Station and released the car into the sea to ensure the safety of the crew and the chopper, they said.

The nonmilitary car was being transported to an airfield on the island for use in an exercise, the marines said, adding it will later retrieve the vehicle from the sea.

The Naha Defense Facilities Administration Bureau requested the U.S. military to investigate the incident and ensure safety in the area. Village officials will decide on their course of action Thursday, they said.

In the village in 1965, a fifth-grade girl was crushed to death when a trailer that was descending by parachute in an exercise missed its target on the ground and fell on her.

The marines said the helicopter's flight path was over the sea to avoid flying over residential areas.