Search Continues for Crew of Crashed Defense Force Trainer Jet
このページを 日本語 で読む
Following the crash of a Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) T-4 trainer jet, search efforts are still underway as of May 16 for the two missing crew members.
The aircraft went down on May 14 in Lake Iruka, a reservoir located in Inuyama City, Aichi Prefecture. The search, led by the Self-Defense Forces, is being carried out in coordination with the prefectural police and the local fire department. A T-4 trainer jet at Hyakuri Air Base, Japan Air Self-Defense Force, Ibaraki Prefecture.
It is suspected that a sudden issue occurred shortly after takeoff. The JASDF is working to determine the cause of the accident as quickly as possible.
Search crews are using civilian boats to comb the entire pond for any signs of the missing crew. Divers have been deployed, and aerial searches are being conducted using helicopters and other aircraft. On May 15, debris believed to be from the aircraft was recovered from the pond.
At a press conference following a Cabinet meeting on May 16, former Defense Minister Gen Nakatani provided updates on the ongoing search and investigation. Firefighters begin search efforts at Lake Iruka on 9:32 AM, May 15, Inuyama City, Aichi Prefecture.
The T-4 took off from Komaki Air Base in Aichi Prefecture at around 3:06 PM on May 14, heading to Nyutabaru Air Base in Miyazaki Prefecture. On board were First Lieutenant Takuji Iioka, 31, and Second Lieutenant Shota Amitani, 29.
The aircraft maintained a stable flight for about one minute before suddenly losing altitude during a right turn at around 1,400 meters. It disappeared from radar roughly two minutes after takeoff. No emergency call or distress signal has been confirmed.
In response to the crash, the JASDF has temporarily grounded all T-4 aircraft. An internal accident investigation committee is working to determine the cause. However, because the jet was not equipped with a flight recorder (black box), the investigation is expected to be particularly challenging.
In the wake of the crash, words of support have come from abroad. United States Ambassador to Japan George Glass posted on X, stating, "The United States stands ready to offer our Japanese partners all assistance and support, if needed."
Author: The Sankei Shimbun
このページを 日本語 で読む
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Toronto Sun
3 days ago
- Toronto Sun
Chinese aircraft carrier seen operating deeper into Pacific
Published Jun 09, 2025 • 2 minute read The aircraft carrier Liaoning Photographer: Pu Haiyang/Xinhua/Getty Images Photo by Xinhua News Agency / Getty Images (Bloomberg) — A Chinese aircraft carrier made one of its deepest forays into the Pacific Ocean over the weekend as Beijing continues to project its military power further from its shores. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The Liaoning and three other Chinese naval vessels were seen on Saturday around 300 kilometres (some 185 miles) southwest of the remote, uninhabited Japanese island of Minamitori, according to a statement from Japan's Joint Chief of Staff. Minamitori is more than 1,800 km southeast of Tokyo. The Chinese carrier was within the portion of Japan's exclusive economic zone around the island. A day later, Japan said it confirmed the takeoff and landing of fighter jets and helicopters from the deck of the carrier, an indication of exercises to test the ability of pilots and sailors to perform combat operations. The sightings are likely the first time any of China's three aircraft carriers have been observed operating east of the so-called second island chain, a string of islands that extends from Japan, through the Northern Mariana Islands and south to Guam. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The second chain and the first island chain, which is closer to China and includes Japan's southern Ryuku Islands and the Philippines, limit China's access to the western Pacific Ocean. US, Japanese and other military bases sit along both of the chains. In the case of a conflict in the Western Pacific involving the US, such as a possible military engagement over Taiwan, China could be at risk from US forces deployed from large American bases in Hawaii. The ability to operate east of the second chain could help China's navy counter such deployments. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said Monday that the naval vessels' 'activities in relevant waters are fully consistent with international law and international practices.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'We hope Japan will view these activities objectively and rationally,' he added at the regular press briefing. The US Indo-Pacific Command didn't respond to a request for comment. The Liaoning, a rebuilt Russian vessel, is the oldest of China's carriers. In recent days it has sailed with accompanying ships widely around the Western Pacific, including rare sightings to the east of the Philippines, according to Japan's Joint Chief of Staff. Wang Yunfei, a Chinese military affairs expert, told China's state-run Global Times last week that the Liaoning was conducting normal training activities. Wang said Chinese carriers are expected to go further into deep ocean areas in the future, according to the report. —With assistance from Yasufumi Saito. World Sunshine Girls Golf Editorial Cartoons Canada
Toronto Star
3 days ago
- Toronto Star
Explosion at a US air base in southern Japan injures 4 Japanese soldiers
TOKYO (AP) — An explosion at a storage site for unexploded wartime ordnances at a U.S. military base on Japan's southern island of Okinawa injured four Japanese soldiers, though the injuries are not life threatening, officials said Monday. The four soldiers had injuries to their fingers while working at a facility that belongs to Okinawa prefecture to store unexploded ordnance found on the island, where one of the harshest battles of World War II was fought, local officials said.
Toronto Star
05-06-2025
- Toronto Star
Emperor's visit to Okinawa reflects imperial family's close ties to the island. Here is why he cares
TOKYO (AP) — Japan's Emperor Naruhito and his family have visited Okinawa to honor the dead ahead of the 80th anniversary of one of the harshest battles of World War II. On what was his seventh visit to Okinawa, Naruhito was joined this week by his wife and daughter for a tour of the southern island and its history. Naruhito's father, the 91-year-old former Emperor Akihito, especially cared about Okinawa. On June 23, the island will mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Battle of Okinawa, which led to heavy American troop presence on the island, even after the nearly 30 years of U.S. occupation ended in 1972. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Here is what to know about Okinawa's history. Fierce battle U.S. troops landed on the main Okinawa island on April 1, 1945, beginning a battle in their push toward mainland Japan. The Battle of Okinawa lasted until late June, killing some 200,000 people — about 12,000 Americans and more than 188,000 Japanese, half of them Okinawan civilians. In all, the island lost about one quarter of its population. In Itoman town, where the battle ended, the remains of most of the war dead reside in an ossuary at the National War Dead Peace Mausoleum. It was the first place Naruhito and his wife Empress Masako and their 23-year-old daughter, Princess Aiko, visited on Wednesday where they laid a bouquet of white flowers each. Post-war years Okinawa remained under U.S. occupation from 1945 until the 1972 reversion to Japan. The U.S. military maintains a presence there due to Okinawa's strategic importance for security in the Pacific. Private properties were confiscated to build U.S. bases, and the base-dependent economy hampered the growth of local industry. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Emperors tried to make a mends Many Okinawans feel they have been sacrificed for the mainland in the war fought in the name of Hirohito, the grandfather of Emperor Naruhito. Bitter feelings were fresh in Okinawa in the 1970s, when many people said the emperor should take responsibility. Akihito, who was almost hit by a Molotov cocktail thrown during his visit to Okinawa as crown prince in 1975, has been a regular visitor. Every year on June 23, Akihito and his family observe a moment of silence for the victims of the battle. It's one of the four key dates he said should never forget, along with the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on Aug. 6 and Aug. 9, as well as the Aug. 15 end of the war. Naruhito's empathy for Okinawa Naruhito has pledged to follow in his father's footsteps and repeatedly expressed the importance to reflect on and remember the wartime history. In February, Naruhito stressed the importance of telling the tragedy of World War II to younger generations, promising to help promoting the understanding of history and the determination for peace. He and his family on Wednesday visited the Cornerstone of Peace Memorial, which is engraved with the names of about 250,000 war dead on Itoman's Mabuni Hill. They also visited a permanent war exhibit at the town's Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum, where they met the survivors and bereaved families. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW On Thursday they laid flowers at a monument commemorating about 1,500 people including hundreds of school children killed in a U.S. torpedo attack on their evacuation ship Tsushima Maru on Aug. 1944. They visited a museum dedicated to the tragedy and met with a number of survivors. Naruhito and Masako, in a message released to Japanese media, renewed their pledge to peace and said their daughter deeply took to her heart Okinawan people's history of hardship. Modern problems Okinawa remains home to the majority of about 50,000 U.S. troops stationed in Japan under a bilateral security pact. The island, which accounts for only 0.6% of Japanese land, hosts 70% of U.S. military facilities. Resentment and frustration run deep in Okinawa because of the heavy U.S. presence. The island faces noise, pollution, aircraft accidents and crime related to American troops, Denny Tanmaki, the governor of Okinawa, has said. Following a series of alleged sexual assault cases against local women, the U.S. military and local government held a forum in May to discuss ways to improve safety and communication and agreed to regularize their meeting.
