Japanese army helicopter carrying crew of 10 crashed into sea, officials believe
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TOKYO — A missing Japanese army helicopter carrying 10 crew members is believed to have crashed into the sea off a southern island after objects appearing to be aircraft parts were spotted in the area, an official said Thursday.
The UH-60JA Black Hawk helicopter disappeared from radar Thursday afternoon while on a reconnaissance mission north of Miyako island, said Yasunori Morishita, the head of the Ground Self Defense Force, Japan’s army.
Debris believed to be aircraft parts was spotted in the area, about 1,120 miles southwest of Tokyo, Morishita told a news conference.
The Japanese government is aggressively building up its defense capability in southwestern Japan in response to China’s increasingly assertive military activity in the region, including Taiwan.
Two Army HH-60 Black Hawk helicopters crashed Wednesday night in southwestern Kentucky during a routine training mission, killing nine people.
Kyodo News said Japanese coast guard ships found traces of oil and debris that may be related to the missing helicopter, but officials declined to confirm the report.
Morishita said the helicopter was stationed at a key regional army base in Kumamoto prefecture on the southern main island of Kyushu, and one of its 10 crew members was the division commander, Yuichi Sakamoto.
Morishita said the helicopter disappeared from radar earlier than previously thought.
NHK public television earlier said the helicopter disappeared from radar about an hour after it departed from a base on Miyako island and about half an hour before its scheduled return.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said the Defense Ministry was investigating.
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