During a night-time training exercise, two Japanese navy helicopters carrying eight crew members crashed into the Pacific Ocean, potentially colliding with each other, as stated by the defense minister on Sunday.
Regrettably, one person lost their life, while rescuers continue the search for the remaining seven missing individuals.
The incident occurred during antisubmarine exercises near Torishima in the isolated Izu island group, off the southern coast of central Japan, on Saturday night.
Defence Minister Minoru Kihara stated that rescuers identified what appears to be parts of the aircraft in the sea, indicating that the two helicopters crashed.
“At this point, the cause is unknown, but our priority is to save lives,” Kihara informed reporters. Later, Kihara updated reporters, confirming that the rescued crew member had tragically passed away.
Minister Kihara also revealed that the ministry found the flight recorders in close proximity, raising the likelihood of a collision between the two helicopters.
“The flight recorders are undergoing analysis,” stated Chief of Staff Ryo Sakai of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) during a press briefing, while officials are conducting interviews with the crew of a third helicopter that participated in the drill but was not involved in the accident.
According to reports from broadcaster NHK, communication with one helicopter was lost at 10:38 pm (13:38 GMT) near Torishima island, with an emergency signal received a minute later.
Approximately 25 minutes later, at around 11:04 pm, authorities became aware that communication with the other aircraft was also lost in the same area.
The Mitsubishi SH-60K helicopters from the JMSDF are primarily stationed on and operate from naval destroyers.
According to the JMSDF, since there were no other aircraft or vessels in the nearby waters, the involvement of another country in the incident is unlikely, as reported by NHK.
US Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel expressed on the social media platform X that the United States had offered assistance with the search and rescue efforts.
“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,” he conveyed.
This incident comes a year after a Ground Self-Defence Force UH-60 Blackhawk crashed off the southwestern Japanese island of Miyako due to an engine output problem known as “rollback”, resulting in the loss of all 10 crew members, which deeply saddened the nation.
In 2017, a Japanese navy SH-60J, an earlier generation Seahawk, crashed during a night-time flight training off Aomori due to human error.
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