TOKYO (AP) – Japan’s top government spokesperson expressed concern yesterday that the United States (US) military is continuing to fly Osprey aircraft in the country without providing adequate information about a fatal crash this week in southwestern Japan, despite repeated requests that it do so.
One crew member was killed and seven others are missing, along with the aircraft. The cause of Wednesday’s crash, which occurred during a training mission, is still under investigation.
Search operations widened yesterday with additional US military personnel joining the effort, while Japanese coast guard and military ships focused on an undersea search using sonar.
The Pentagon said on Thursday that US Ospreys continue to operate in Japan, and Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said she was not aware of an official request from Japan to ground them.
“We are concerned about the continuing Osprey flights despite our repeated requests and the absence of a sufficient explanation about their safety” from the US military, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said yesterday.
The US-made Osprey is a hybrid aircraft that takes off and lands like a helicopter but can rotate its propellers forward and cruise much faster, like an airplane, during flight.
Ospreys have had a number of crashes, including in Japan, where they are used at US and Japanese military bases, and the latest crash rekindled safety concerns.
Japanese officials said they asked the US military to halt Osprey flights in Japan except for those involved in the search operations.
Defence Minister Minoru Kihara said he met with the commander of US Forces Japan, Lieutenant General Ricky Rupp, on Thursday afternoon and repeated his request that flights be allowed only after the aircraft’s safety is confirmed.
He acknowledged that he did not specifically use the words “grounding” or “suspension.”
Kihara said he asked Rupp to explain what measures are being taken for Osprey flights in Japan in response to the crash.
