Defense Minister Kihara “We are working to confirm measures implemented by the U.S.”
“Safety concerns cannot be dispelled… Proper information needs to be provided.”
Regarding the incident in which the CV-22B Osprey, a US military transport aircraft in Japan, crashed in the waters off Yakushima, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan, Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara announced on the 5th that he had received an explanation from the US military that they were conducting a safety inspection. .
According to Japanese public broadcasters NHK and the Mainichi Shimbun on the 5th, on this day, Defense Minister Kihara received a letter from the US military regarding the incident in which the CV-22B Osprey crashed in the sea off Yakushima, saying, “All Osprey units must clearly consider the CV-22B accident and then conduct safety inspections and inspections.” He said he received an explanation on the 4th that “preventative preparations are currently being carried out.”
Defense Minister Kihara said that Japan is “confirming the measures being implemented by the United States.”
Additionally, “There is a need to continue to receive proper information. “Safety concerns related to the flight have not been dispelled,” he said, indicating plans to request additional explanation from the United States.
In addition, he said that after the Osprey crash, the number of takeoffs and landings in Kagoshima and Okinawa Prefectures exceeded 100.
In Japan, concerns about an Osprey crash are growing due to this accident. The Japanese government officially requested the US military in Japan to temporarily suspend Osprey operations. Osprey operations owned by the Self-Defense Forces have also been suspended for the time being.
Previously, on the 29th of last month, an accident occurred in the waters off Yakushima where a U.S. military transport plane, CV-22B Osprey, crashed. The transport plane in question belonged to Yokota Base in Tokyo, and only one of the eight people on board was confirmed dead after the accident.
Later, on the 4th (local time), the U.S. Air Force announced that divers from the U.S. military and Japanese Self-Defense Forces discovered the fuselage of the Osprey aircraft submerged in water.
They also revealed that among the wreckage was the cockpit of the transport plane, where the bodies of five of the eight people on board were found.
The U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command issued a statement saying, “The dive team was able to identify five of the eight people involved in the crash” and that they had recovered the bodies of two of them. It is said that the remaining three bodies are currently being recovered.
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.