A missing Japanese military helicopter carrying its 10 crew has crashed into the sea off a southern island, an official said, after objects believed to be parts of the aircraft were spotted in the area.
The UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter disappeared from radar Thursday afternoon while it was on a reconnaissance mission north of Miyako Island, Yasunori Morishita, commander of the Ground Self-Defense Force, said during a press conference.
He said debris believed to be aircraft parts had been spotted in the area, about 1,800 kilometers (1,120 miles) southwest of Tokyo.
The government is aggressively building up its defense capabilities in southwestern Japan in response to increasingly assertive Chinese military activity in the region, including Taiwan.
Kyodo News said Japanese coast guard vessels also found traces of oil that could be linked to the missing helicopter, but officials refused to confirm the news.
Morishita said the helicopter was stationed at a major regional military base in Kumamoto Prefecture on the southern main island of Kyushu, and division commander Yuichi Sakamoto was one of its 10-member crew.
“To rescue everyone on board as quickly as possible, we will continue to do our best (…) using the Navy and Air Self-Defense Forces ships and aircraft, as well as the Guards ships.” He said.
warships in the area
Chinese Navy ships bound for the Pacific Ocean from the East China Sea often pass near Miyakojima, which has hosted GSDF portable anti-ship missile launchers since 2019.
Over the past four days, amid rising tensions over a meeting between Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy, at least three Chinese warships have sailed close to the island.
The government is aggressively building up its defense capabilities in southwestern Japan in response to increasingly assertive Chinese military activity in the region, including Taiwan.
Morishita did not say whether the helicopter was involved in monitoring Chinese military activity.
Kyodo News said Japanese coast guard vessels also found traces of oil that could be linked to the missing helicopter, but officials refused to confirm the news.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said in remarks broadcast by state broadcaster NHK that the government’s priority now was to rescue those on board.
“Saving lives is our top priority,” Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said in a brief address to reporters.
