Two military helicopters crash in Japan: one dead, seven missing

Late Saturday, two Japan Self-Defense Force (JSF) helicopters crashed into the sea, with one crew member found dead and seven others still missing, Japanese authorities said on Sunday.

The planes were participating in “night anti-submarine warfare exercises,” Defense Minister Minoru Kihara told the press. “The cause of the accident is unknown at this time, we are prioritizing saving lives at this time.” Possible debris from these devices was noticed by maritime rescue services, the minister added.

Hours later, Minoru Kihara told reporters that the death of the rescued crew member had been “confirmed.” Seven more people are still missing. He also indicated that the ministry “found flight recorders in locations close to each other” and therefore “it is highly likely that (the two helicopters) collided.” The helicopters crashed off the coast of the Izu Islands in the Pacific Ocean, authorities said.

“Flight recorders are being analyzed and authorities are questioning the crew of a third helicopter that participated in the exercise but was not involved in the crash,” said Navy Chief of Staff Ryo Sakai.

Communication with one of the devices was lost at 22:38 local time (Saturday, 13:38 GMT). About 25 minutes later, authorities realized that contact with the second helicopter had also been lost, according to NHK. They were two Japanese-made Mitsubishi SH-60K patrol helicopters belonging to the Maritime Self-Defense Force, a naval branch of the FJA.

Hybrid aircraft

A year ago, a Japanese military helicopter of a different model (UH-60JA) crashed into the sea off Okinawa (southwest Japan), killing ten passengers. And in November, a U.S. military Osprey ship based in Japan crashed at sea, killing eight of its crew.

This new fatal crash involving this hybrid aircraft, capable of taking off and landing vertically like a helicopter and flying like an airplane, has forced the US Army to ground all flights of its Osprey aircraft worldwide for three months while an investigation into the circumstances of this new tragedy.

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Osprey flights resumed in early March, including in Japan, after the U.S. military made changes to the aircraft’s maintenance and operating procedures.

Japan, a close US ally, is significantly increasing its defense budget to adapt to rising tensions in the Asia-Pacific region, between China’s increasingly assertive territorial claims and repeated threats from North Korea in the region.