Japanese military helicopter crashes in sea with 10 on board

[beijingwalker]

Japanese military helicopter crashes in sea with 10 on board​

By Emiko Jozuka and Brad Lendon, CNN
Updated 2:52 AM EDT, Fri April 7, 2023

A Japan Coast Guard vessel conducts search and rescue operation at the site of a military helicopter crash as Japan Self-Defense Force members look on, in Miyakojima, Okinawa prefecture, Japan.
Kyodo/Reuters

TokyoCNN —

Rescuers are scanning waters off southern Japan for 10 people on board a Japanese military helicopter that apparently crashed into the sea on Thursday, Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said.

“I will continue to do my best to collect information on the damage and search for human lives,” said Hamada, who looked visibly overcome with emotion when he spoke to reporters Friday.

Gen. Yasunori Morishita, chief of staff of Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF), said searchers had found what appeared to be parts of the the UH-60JA helicopter in the sea and are continuing to scan the ocean for survivors.

If no survivors are found, the crash would be Japan’s deadliest military aviation accident since 1995, Japan’s Defense Ministry said.

The missing troops include two pilots, two mechanics and six passengers, among them Lt. Gen. Yuichi Sakamoto, a senior GSDF commander, Morishita said.

Sakamoto, commander of the 8th Division, had been newly appointed to his role on March 30, Japan’s public broadcaster NHK reported Friday.

The helicopter – which was surveying the local area – went missing Thursday at 3:56 p.m. local time after disappearing from radar screens off the coast of Miyako Island in the southern Japanese prefecture of Okinawa, according to the Defense Ministry.

This photo provided by the 11th Regional Japan Coast Guard Headquarters shows a door that the coast guard retrieved from the sea, off Miyako Island, Okinawa Prefecture, southern Japan, on April 7.
11th Regional Japan Coast Guard Headquarters/AP

Miyako Island – adjacent to the East China Sea – is about 400 kilometers (250 miles) east of Taiwan and is home to a JGSDF missile unit.

A spokesperson from the Japan Coast Guard told CNN that around 6:50 p.m. local time on Thursday, a patrol boat retrieved a lifeboat with the words “Ground Self-Defense Force” written on it from the sea.

The spokesperson added that early Friday morning, a window frame, a door with “Ground Self-Defense Force” written on it and a rotor blade were recovered in waters north of Irabu Island, which is connected to Miyako Island by a bridge.

According to manufacturer Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, the UH-60JA is a multipurpose helicopter based on the US military’s Black Hawk helicopters.

The last time at least 10 people were lost in a Japanese military aviation accident was on February 21, 1995, when a Maritime Self-Defense Force flying boat crashed in Kochi prefecture, southern Japan, killing 11 people, the Defense Ministry said.

In February 1984, 12 died when a flying boat crashed in waters off the west coast of Ao Island in Ehime prefecture, the ministry said.

Japanese military helicopter crashes in sea with 10 on board | CNN

Rescuers are scanning waters off southern Japan for 10 people on board a Japanese military helicopter that apparently crashed into the sea on Thursday, Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said.

edition.cnn.com

 

[Foinikas]

RIP to the crew.

 

[beijingwalker]

Japanese MoD in tears: Black Hawk helo crash, debris was found​

By Boyko Nikolov On Apr 8, 2023

TOKYO, JAPAN — In an attempt to hold back his tears, Japanese Defense Minister Mr. Yasukazu Hamada said that Japan has not yet discovered the 10-man crew of a combat helicopter. The helicopter is believed to be a Black Hawk. The incident happened on Thursday after the Japanese military lost contact with the helicopter crew during the flight.

Photo credit: AP

The search for survivors is ongoing. Debris was found in the sea – doors, a boat, and other fragments. However, the Japanese Ministry of Defense has not given up on the search for the missing crew. According to the minister, Tokyo is doing and will do everything possible to find “its people”. The ministry also announced that in addition to a search operation, a second operation is currently underway to collect more debris and information about the cause of the crash. Japan’s Mo said an assessment of the damage was pending.

The UH-60JA Black Hawk disappeared from Japanese defense radars on Thursday afternoon. The helicopter was sent on a reconnaissance mission in the southern islands of Japan. Information about the mission was made public after the incident by Ground Self-Defense Force Chief Yasunori Morishita.

The incident is quite strange as it happened almost immediately after the helicopter took off within 10 minutes. There are already the first guesses from various Japanese sources. One of them suggests that the Japanese aircraft crashed in the water between Miyako and the nearby island of Irabu to the northwest. The area is about 1,800 kilometers [1,120 miles] southwest of Tokyo.

The discovery of the first wreckage – a lifeboat – confirms that the accident is related to the helicopter. Her serial number matches the one listed as inventory on board the helicopter. The boat was located by Coast Guard vessels. Sailors later discover a door believed to be part of the same helicopter.

Photo credit: Pixabay

The alleged conflict between China and Taiwan, with the participation of the US and allies, has forced Japan to build up its defense capabilities quite actively in recent years. The southwestern islands where the helicopter crashed are a key part of Tokyo’s defense strategy.

Kumamoto Prefecture was home to the crashed helicopter. An army base has been built there, which Tokyo considers being key and strategic. Kyusho is the main Japanese island in this prefecture. According to the Japanese Ministry of Defense, the helicopter that crashed had passed all trials, tests, and maintenance. Bill is fully upright, the ministry says. Especially since it becomes clear that the last technical inspection was in March.

One of the 10 crew members is Division Commander Yuichi Sakamoto, who was just promoted to the post at the end of March.

Japanese MoD in tears: Black Hawk helo crash, debris was found

In an attempt to hold back his tears, Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said that Japan has not yet discovered the 10-man crew of a combat helicopter.

bulgarianmilitary.com

 

[DF41]

SCHADENFREUDE

but nowhere enough satisfaction for Nanjing Massacre and Unit 731

Satisfaction complete only when Japanese Emperor become custodian of public toilet build where Yasukini shrine get razed.

 

[beijingwalker]

Japan continues search for missing military chopper, rules out China link​

April 11, 2023

Tokyo, Apr 11 (EFE).- Japanese authorities on Tuesday continued the search of the military helicopter that went missing five days ago near the Okinawa archipelago, while ruling out any link between the incident and the frequent Chinese naval activity in the area.

The UH-60JA utility helicopter with 10 crew members onboard disappeared from radar around 3.56 pm local time (06:55 GMT) on Thursday when it was around 3 kilometers north of the Irabu island in southwestern Japan.

Since then, Japanese armed forces, the coastguard and local fishermen have continued to run a joint search operation, without any success so far.

The search and rescue contingent includes 290 Japanese military personnel, six planes and three vessels, apart from submarine rescue teams.

So far rescue teams have only been able to find some debris believed to have been part of the helicopter – suggesting an accident – including a fuel tank, parts of a rotor blade and a military helmet, according to the Japanese military.

Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said that in the last communication received from the chopper – which took place around 10 minutes before its disappearance – no anomaly had been reported, adding that the search for the 10 missing crew members would continue.

The fact that the incident took place in an area which sees constant activity by Chinese vessels nearby – which are often monitored by Japanese aircrafts like the one that went missing – triggered speculations over a possible connection between the disappearance and Beijing’s military drills.

However, Japanese forces have largely ruled out this possibility by saying that the last Chinese naval activity in the area took place in the early hours of Apr. 6 – many hours before the helicopter went missing – and far from the spot where communication was lost.

Yamato Taro, a senior official with the defense ministry’s Joint Staff Office, said in the parliament on Tuesday in response to a question that there was no confirmation of any Chinese military movement that could have been linked with the accident.

In recent months, Tokyo has repeatedly denounced growing naval and air activity by China at several points close to its territorial waters, especially in the southwest, an area close to Taiwan which also houses the Senkaku islands (Diaoyu in Mandarin), which are under Japan’s control but are also claimed by Beijing. EFE

Japan continues search for missing military chopper, rules out China link

Tokyo, Apr 11 (EFE).- Japanese authorities on Tuesday continued the search of the military helicopter that went missing five days ago near the Okinawa archipelago, while ruling out any link between the incident and the frequent Chinese naval activity in the area. The UH-60JA utility helicopter...

www.laprensalatina.com

 

[waz]

Condolences and prayers to their families.