Japanese army helicopter carrying 10 crew members missing

Tokyo, April 6 (BNA): The Japanese Coast Guard said it is searching for a military helicopter carrying 10 crew members who went missing off an island in southern Japan.

The Coast Guard said it received information that a UH-60JA Black Hawk helicopter belonging to the Ground Self-Defense Force went missing from radar on a mission Thursday night in the northern Miyako Island area.

The Associated Press reported that four patrol ships were participating in the search, but found no traces of the missing plane.

The disappearance near the Japanese island came as the country aggressively beefs up its defense in the region in response to increased Chinese military activity in the territorial seas, where tensions are also running high around Taiwan.

Japan’s Kyodo News Agency said Japanese coast guard vessels had found traces of oil and debris that could be linked to the missing helicopter, but officials refused to confirm the news.

The Ground Self-Defense Force, or Japanese military, said the helicopter belonged to a base in Kumamoto Prefecture on the main island of Kyushu in southern Japan and was visiting Miyako Island on a monitoring mission.

Public broadcaster NHK said the helicopter disappeared from radar about an hour after leaving a base on Miyako Island and about half an hour before its scheduled return.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said the Ministry of Defense was investigating the matter and “we will do our best to save their lives.”

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