The Japanese government has asked the United States to suspend flights of its Osprey hybrid aircraft over its territory after one of them crashed into the sea, killing at least one American soldier, the Japanese Defense Minister said today.
Minoru Kihara, during a meeting of the Japanese Parliament, said that as soon as the incident became known, “we immediately launched a life-saving investigation” and in the morning “submitted the request to the commander” of the US Force in Japan (USFJ). .
Searches continue to locate the remaining seven passengers missing after the US Armed Forces Osprey CV-22B crashed into the sea in the southwestern part of the archipelago. The plane took off from the US Yokota base near Tokyo on a “routine training mission.”
The causes of the accident are still unknown.
Incident timeline
The plane crashed yesterday shortly before 15:00 local time (08:00 Greek time) with witnesses saying its left engine appeared to have caught fire during landing, according to media reports.
Investigations are continuing to locate the remaining missing passengers
Government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno said the plane disappeared from radar screens at 2:40 p.m. local time.
According to public broadcaster NHK, the Osprey left the US Air Force base at Iwakuni, near Hiroshima, in western Japan, to go to another US military base in Okinawa, on the southwestern tip of the Japanese archipelago.
According to NHK, it is an Osprey CV-22 belonging to another US Armed Forces air base in Japan, this one in Yokota, near Tokyo.
The reliability of the Osprey is questionable – accidents are frequent
The Osprey is a collaboration between American aircraft manufacturer Boeing and helicopter specialist Bell.
However, its reliability has long been debated due to the numerous accidents that have occurred with this aircraft. Its deployment in Japan has been controversial, with critics saying the planes are prone to accidents. The US military and Japan say they are safe.
In late August, three US Marines were killed in an Osprey plane crash in northern Australia during joint military exercises between the US and Australian armed forces.
In 2022, four US Marines also lost their lives in Norway when the Osprey plane they were aboard crashed during NATO exercises.
An American military plane of the same type crashed into the sea in 2017 after colliding with the stern of a ship as part of American-Australian military maneuvers, killing three people.
Also in April 2000, 19 Marines were killed when an Osprey plane crashed in Arizona, southwestern United States.
The US Army maintains about 54,000 soldiers in Japan, most of whom are stationed on the southern islands of Okinawa Prefecture.
With information from APE-MPE
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