Tokyo, 13 December, /AJMEDIA/
The Japanese and U.S. defense ministers affirmed on Tuesday that ensuring the safety of Osprey military aircraft should be the two nations’ “common top priority” following last month’s fatal crash of the aircraft in waters off southwestern Japan.
Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara told reporters that he made a request to U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in their first talks after the crash, held on the phone, that the U.S. military not resume Osprey flights until the aircraft’s safety can be ensured.
A U.S. Air Force CV-22 transport plane crashed into the sea near Yakushima Island in Kagoshima Prefecture on Nov. 29, killing all eight people on board.
Shortly after the accident, Japan halted flights of the Ground Self-Defense Force’s V-22 Ospreys and urged the United States to ground its tilt-rotor aircraft in Japan.
The U.S. forces said Wednesday that it has temporarily grounded its entire fleet of Osprey aircraft deployed worldwide after finding that the crash may have been due to a malfunction.
In Japan, a major U.S. ally, concerns over the safety of Ospreys, known for a number of mishaps and deadly crashes, have rekindled.
Kihara also said he and Austin exchanged views on the current situation over the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden in the Middle East, where commercial ships have been repeatedly attacked since the war between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas began in October.