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Agencies

Japan’s Defence Ministry on Sunday said it was searching for three crew members of a Maritime Self-Defence Force (MSDF) helicopter in the Sea of Japan (East Sea) after contact was lost with the chopper. One crew member had been rescued uninjured.
The ministry said the SH-60J anti-submarine warfare helicopter lost contact around 90km off the coast of Aomori Prefecture late on Saturday.
It said the flight data recorder had been located, but did not say what had actually happened to the helicopter, whether it crashed or ditched into the sea. The MSDF has launched an investigation into the incident.

Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera said all helicopters of that type have been grounded.
“We have to ensure the safe flight operations (of Self-Defense Force aircraft),” Onodera said.
Earlier this month, four Japanese crew members were injured after their CH-101 chopper crashed on land during a training exercise at Iwakuni Air Base in Yamaguchi Prefecture in western Japan.
After Saturday’s crash, Aomori Governor Shingo Mimura urged the MSDF to conduct a thorough probe into the accident and take steps to prevent a recurrence.
In a document submitted to a local unit of the MSDF, the governor said the crash “could increase public distrust in the safety management of the SDF.”
“It is extremely regrettable,” he added.
Reuters, Kyodo


Three crew missing after Japanese anti-submarine military helicopter crashes at sea

A Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force SH-60J Seahawk helicopter. Photo: US Navy

A Maritime Self-Defense Force escort ship searches for three missing crewmen of an MSDF helicopter in waters off Aomori Prefecture, northeastern Japan, in this photo taken from a Kyodo News airplane on Aug. 27, 2017. The helicopter dropped out of contact the previous night and is feared to have crashed in the area. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Tokyo asks US to stop flying Ospreys in Japan following fatal crash in Australia

US Marine MV-22B Osprey aircraft. Photo: Reuters

FILE - In this April 22, 2015 file photo, a Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey comes in for a landing at Miami International Airport before a presidential visit, in Miami. Search and rescue operations were underway for three U.S. Marines who were missing after their Osprey aircraft crashed into the sea off the east coast of Australia on Saturday, Aug. 5, 2017 while trying to land. Twenty-three of 26 personnel aboard the aircraft have been rescued, the Marine base Camp Butler in Japan said in a statement. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

File photo taken in January 2017 shows a U.S. military Osprey aircraft taking off from U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Japan's southernmost island prefecture of Okinawa. It was reported Aug. 2 that Japan and the United States are considering operating Osprey at night as part of an upcoming joint exercise planned on Japan's northern main island of Hokkaido. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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One of the four crew members aboard the SH-60J patrol helicopter was rescued
