In a tragic incident, one Japanese naval crewman has died and seven others are missing after two helicopters crashed during a night-time drill in the Pacific Ocean.
The Japanese Defence Ministry confirmed that two SH-60k helicopters, each carrying four crew members, went missing in the early morning of 21 April 2024.
The twin-engine Mitsubishi SH-60Ks were on an anti-submarine training mission near the Izu Islands, 600km south of Tokyo when the accident occurred. Debris, including parts of rotor blades, and two flight recorders were discovered close to each other, but the cause of the crash remains unknown.
Defence Minister Minoru Kihara expressed deep sadness over the incident and emphasized the priority of saving lives. The helicopters were engaged in drills to counter submarines at night when communication was lost with one helicopter at 22:38 local time.
The navy disclosed that both helicopters, based on the Sikorsky Seahawk, were the only aircraft in the area, ruling out the involvement of another country in the incident. This tragic event comes as Japan boosts defense spending and strengthens cooperation with the US and other Asian countries in response to escalating Chinese assertiveness in the Taiwanese region.
In a similar incident in April 2023, a Japanese army helicopter with 10 people on board crashed off Miyako island in southern Okinawa. The UH60 helicopter, known as a Black Hawk, was conducting a local area survey at the time of the crash, resulting in no survivors.
As investigations continue into the cause of the recent helicopter crash, our thoughts are with the families of the crew members who are missing and the naval crewman who lost his life in this tragic accident.
