Japan's navy continued its search on Monday for the whereabouts of seven crew members, who are feared dead after their helicopters crashed in the Pacific Ocean during a nighttime anti-submarine drill.
Minoru Kihara, the Japanese defense minister, told a press conference that flight recorders recovered from the two crashed choppers showed no indication of mechanical issues, suggesting pilot error.
On Sunday, Kihara said the submarine-hunting helicopters had taken off from separate destroyers 170 miles east of Torishima, part of Japan's Izu islands, about 370 miles south of Tokyo.
Newsweek's map illustrates the approximate location of the crash site, where Japanese authorities said the sea depth was around 3.4 miles, adding to the challenging rescue operation.
The pair of Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force SH-60K helicopters—among three taking part in the naval exercise—lost contact at 10:38 p.m. and 11:04 p.m. local time late on Saturday. The Japanese navy received one emergency signal at 10:39 p.m., the official said.
Given the proximity of where the flight recorders were recovered, Kihara said previously, defense authorities believed the helicopters may have collided with one another.
One crew member was recovered and confirmed dead on Sunday, according to Kihara, who later suspended all SH-60K operations. The crew of the third aircraft involved in the drill was debriefed for more information.
Around a dozen ships and seven aircraft were involved in the ongoing search, including some from Japan's coast guard, Japan's defense chief said. Helmets and helicopter parts including rotor blades have been spotted on the surface of the water.
The four-crew SH-60K, built under license by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, is a variant of the U.S. Navy's Sikorsky SH-60, also known as the Seahawk. Japan's air and ground forces each operate their own variants of the twin-engine aircraft.
Japan's Kyodo news agency aired footage on Sunday that showed the Japanese navy's Maya-class guided-missile destroyer JS Haguro taking part in the search in the waters east of Torishima.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Monday called the incident "a matter of greatest regret."
Adm. Ryo Sakai, the Japanese navy's chief of staff, canceled a scheduled trip to China, the Defense Ministry said on Sunday. He had been invited to attend a naval symposium in the Chinese coastal city of Qingdao.
Sakai told reporters that no ships or aircraft from other countries were in the vicinity at the time of the crash.
Amb. Rahm Emanuel, the U.S. envoy to Tokyo, offered his government's support.
"We will stand together, side by side, with our friend and ally, Japan. My thoughts are with the crew members, and their families and friends during this challenging time," Emanuel said in a social media post on Sunday.
The latest incident comes after a crew of 10 were killed one year ago this month when a Japan Ground Self-Defense Force UH-60JA crashed in waters off Miyako Island, in Japan's Okinawa Prefecture.
Before that, a Japan Air Self-Defense Force F-15 fighter jet crashed into the Sea of Japan off central Ishikawa Prefecture in January 2022, killing two crew.
Kishida's government is likely to be scrutinized by the press and the public following the weekend's crash. Tokyo is stepping up its military training and the frequency of its solo and joint exercises with treaty ally the United States at a time of rising regional tensions with China and North Korea.
Pressed to comment on the link between the additional maneuvers and the recent fatalities, Kihara said the risk of accidents could increase without regular training, especially during "an emergency."
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
John Feng is Newsweek's contributing editor for Asia based in Taichung, Taiwan. His focus is on East Asian politics. He ... Read more
