NHK reported on the 14th that while a helicopter belonging to the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, carrying 10 people on board, went missing over Okinawa Prefecture on the 6th, an object presumed to be missing was found on the seabed. A person who appeared to be a missing crew member was also found, and divers began an underwater search.
According to multiple Japanese Ministry of Defense officials, on the night before the week of the disappearance of the helicopter, an object that appeared to be part of the helicopter body and a human body presumed to be the missing crewman were captured by sonar in the waters north of the missing point. There is also information that there are several people inside the aircraft, so the Self-Defense Forces are immediately dispatching divers to investigate.
The missing helicopter is a UH-60JA belonging to the 8th squadron of the 8th division of the Ground Self-Defense Force, which is headquartered in Kumamoto Prefecture. A total of 10 people, including the pilot and crew, were on board the helicopter, including Divisional Commander Yuichi Sakamoto of the 8th Division.
The helicopter was cut off at about 3 km northeast of nearby Irabu Island about 10 minutes after taking off from Miyako Island, Okinawa Prefecture, at around 3:46 pm on the 6th. It has been dubbed the ‘Mystery Missing’ as it suddenly disappears from radar two minutes after its last radio communication.
Authorities have so far searched and found lifeboats with “GMS” written on them, Self-Defense Forces helmets, parts of fuel tanks and rotor blades in the surrounding waters. Even now, three ships, including the minesweeper “Etajima”, a submarine rescue boat, and a minesweeper are being searched in the waters off Ikema Island, north of Miyako Island.
Meanwhile, as the conspiracy theory that the missing helicopter was the work of the Chinese military spread on social media, the Japanese military authorities took action. Yoshihide Yoshida, head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Chairman of the Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff), said at a press conference the previous day, “At the time of the accident, we were not aware of any unusual maritime aviation trends (by the Chinese military).”
As related to the disappearance incident was raised over the movement of the Chinese navy to the south in the waters between the main island of Okinawa and Miyako Island, Takeshi Aoki (spokesperson), a press secretary for the Ministry of Defense, said at a press conference on the 11th that the Chinese intelligence collection vessel was sailing at dawn on the 6th. Pointing out what happened, he noted that it was “significantly different from the time of the accident.”
A high-ranking official from the Ministry of Defense also told the Yomiuri Shimbun, “There were no signs of any attack on the aircraft from the flotsam found.” he emphasized.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.