A Japan Coast Guard vessel and a helicopter conduct a search and rescue operation at the site where a U.S. military aircraft V-22 Osprey crashed into the sea off Yakushima Island, Kagoshima prefecture, Japan November 30, 2023, in this photo taken by Kyodo.
The Japan Self-Defense Forces (SDF), which also operates Ospreys, will suspend flights of the transport aircraft until the circumstances of the incident are clarified, another senior defence ministry official said in parliament.
A spokesperson for U.S. military forces in Japan did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The deployment of the aircraft in Japan has been controversial, with critics of the U.S. military presence in the southwest islands saying it is prone to accidents.
The last fatal U.S. military aircraft crash in Japan was 2018, when a mid-air collision during a training exercise killed six people, according to the defence ministry.
Persons:
Minoru Kihara, Witnesses, Chang, Ran Kim, Kantaro Komiya, Tim Kelly, John Geddie, Kim Coghill, Gerry Doyle
Organizations:
Japan Coast Guard, Kyodo, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, U.S . Air Force, U.S, Ospreys, Japan Self - Defense Forces, Boeing, Bell Helicopter, Marines, Navy, U.S . Marine Corps, Osprey, Thomson
Locations:
Kagoshima prefecture, Japan, U.S, Australia, Okinawa