Fatal crash spotlights Japan military's ageing aircraft, recruitment struggles
When a T-4 training jet plunged into a reservoir in Aichi prefecture last week, killing at least one crew member, it reignited concerns over the safety of
Japan 's military aviation.
The crash, part of a troubling series of fatal accidents in recent years, has shaken public trust and underlined the recruitment challenges facing the country's self-defence forces.
The T-4 aircraft, carrying two crew members, went down just two minutes after taking off from Komaki Air Base
last Wednesday . Search teams have recovered the body of one crew member, while efforts continue to locate the other in the murky waters of the reservoir.
Analysts warn that the crash, which has prompted fresh scrutiny of the Air Self-Defence Force's safety protocols and ageing equipment, is likely to make attracting new recruits to Japan's already overstretched military even more difficult.
'If serious incidents continue to occur almost every year, the public's trust in the SDF could be lost,' the Yomiuri Shimbun said in a May 16 editorial. The newspaper raised questions about possible maintenance lapses or pilot error and cautioned that such accidents could deepen the military's manpower crisis.
A similar editorial from the Mainichi Shimbun echoed these concerns: 'Unless the SDF does the utmost to prevent recurrences and works to alleviate the public's concerns, trust in the forces could be shaken.'
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