Two Japanese Self-Defense Forces helicopters crashed into the sea late Saturday evening, with one crew member found dead and seven others still missing, Japanese authorities said Sunday.
Defense Minister Minoru Kihara told the press that the planes were participating in “night anti-submarine warfare training.”
“At the moment, the cause (of the accident, editor's note) is unknown. In the near future, we prioritize saving lives.” The minister added that marine rescue services detected possible debris from these devices.
The Ministry of Defense later confirmed that one crew member had been found but had died, and that seven others were still missing.
According to Japanese broadcaster NHK, the helicopters crashed off the coast of the Izu Islands in the Pacific Ocean.
Connection to one of the devices was lost at 10:38 PM local time (Saturday 1:38 PM GMT). About 25 minutes later, authorities realized that contact with the second helicopter had also been lost, according to NHK.
These were Mitsubishi SH-60K, Japanese-made patrol helicopters of the Maritime Self-Defense Force, the maritime branch of the FJA.
A year ago, a Japanese military helicopter of another model (UH-60JA) crashed into the sea in the Okinawa region (southwestern Japan), killing its ten passengers.
In November, an Osprey plane belonging to the US military stationed in Japan crashed into the sea, killing eight crew members.
This new fatal accident involving this hybrid aircraft – capable of taking off and landing vertically like a helicopter and flying like an airplane – prompted the US Army to suspend all flights of its Osprey aircraft around the world for three months, which is the appropriate time to carry out the mission. Investigate the circumstances of this new tragedy.
Osprey flights resumed in early March, including in Japan, after the US military made changes to the plane's maintenance and procedures.
In Japan, allied to the United Nations, increasing the defense budget to adapt to major tensions in Asia-Pacific, including more and more affirmative actions in China and menaces of the Corée du Nord. On the side.
