THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
December 5, 2023 at 16:30 JST
A Japan Coast Guard ship, right, takes part in a search operation on Dec. 2 off Yakushima island in Kagoshima Prefecture following the fatal crash of a U.S. military Osprey aircraft. (Kengo Hiyoshi)
Two of five bodies found near the crash site of a U.S. military Osprey aircraft were retrieved off Yakushima island in Kagoshima Prefecture, the U.S. Air Force said on Dec. 4.
Two of the eight crew members aboard remain missing.
One crew member was found dead shortly after the tilt-rotor aircraft crashed on Nov. 29.
Along with multiple pieces of wreckage, the U.S. military and Japanese authorities discovered the main parts of the CV-22 Osprey on the seabed about 30 meters deep.
U.S. authorities are expected to discuss whether to hire a private marine salvage company to recover the wreckage.
The U.S. military on Dec. 4 also finished collecting what are believed to be smaller pieces of the aircraft and equipment belonging to the crew. These items were recovered by local fishermen at the request of the Japanese government.
The Osprey accident—the first fatal one in Japan--has rekindled concerns about the safety of the aircraft, which has a history of problems. In June 2022, an Osprey crashed during a training exercise in California, killing five U.S. service members.
A growing number of local assemblies in Japan are passing resolutions demanding a suspension of the aircraft.
After the crash in Kagoshima Prefecture, Ospreys continued to fly to and from U.S. military bases in Okinawa Prefecture, despite a request from the Japanese government to ground the aircraft, except for search and rescue missions.
The United States has since said no flights were being conducted of CV-22 Ospreys, operated by the Air Force.
But the MV-22 Ospreys of the U.S. Marines are still flying.
“I’m afraid that one of them will crash in my neighborhood,” a resident of Ginowan said on Dec. 4 as another Osprey landed at the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma amid heavy rain and strong wind.
The air station is located in the middle of the city.
(This article was compiled from reports by Kaigo Narisawa in Tokyo, Kayoko Geji in Washington, and Satsuki Tanahashi and Taro Ono in Naha.)
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U.S. halts flights of CV-22 Ospreys in Japan after fatal crash
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EDITORIAL: For safety’s sake, Japan must keep pushing U.S. to ground Ospreys
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Japan asks U.S. to halt Osprey flights after fatal crash in Kyushu
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Reports: U.S. Osprey aircraft crashes off island in Kagoshima
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