U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta on Friday said U.S. Marine Corps will deliver MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft toJapanon time, but they will remain grounded for the short term, after a local government expressed opposition to the deployment over safety concerns.

Panetta made the announcement during a joint press conference with visiting Japanese Defense Minister Satoshi Morimoto. He said the Osprey will not fly in Japan until a full report into two recent incidents involving the aircraft is presented to the Japanese government and the safety of flight operations is reconfirmed.

"The Defense Department anticipates presenting this information to the Japanese government sometime this month," he said.

The Osprey is capable of both vertical takeoff and landing, and short takeoff and landing. It is a multi-mission aircraft developed to fill multi-service combat operational requirements. The Osprey was set to be deployed at the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station in Japan's southernmost Okinawa prefecture. However, its recent accidents had caused concerns among local governments in Japan and residents over the presence of the aircraft in such a densely populated district.

During their meeting, Panetta and Morimoto also discussed plans to realign the U.S. force structure and ways to modernize and advance the U.S.-Japan alliance, including joint operations, training and shared use of training ranges.