Republican lawmakers have criticised a plan by the Pentagon to replace F-15 fighter jets permanently based in Okinawa with a temporary rotating force, saying it would send the wrong signal to China about US deterrence.
The criticism followed a report in the Financial Times that the US air force would withdraw two squadrons of F-15 Eagles from Kadena air force base in Okinawa, as part of a modernisation programme.
The air force will temporarily replace the 48 F-15s with more advanced F-22 stealth fighters from Alaska, but critics have raised concern that the Pentagon has not established a long-term solution to replace the jets in Japan.