Latest news with #AirSelfDefenseForce
Japan Times
23-05-2025
- General
- Japan Times
Two ASDF crew members confirmed dead in training plane crash in Aichi
The Air Self-Defense Force confirmed on Thursday that the remains recovered from a training plane crash last week were those of two crew members. The ASDF's T-4 training aircraft crashed near a lake in Aichi Prefecture immediately after taking off from the Komaki Air Base last week. "The deaths of its two crew members were confirmed today," Hiroaki Uchikura, head of the ASDF, told a news conference. "It is gut-wrenching that we lost the precious lives of our comrades," Uchikura said. A search after the crash soon led to the discovery of what appeared to be remains, but officials could not immediately identify them. However, "a subsequent official analysis confirmed, much to our sorrow, that they belong to the two soldiers on board whom we had been looking for," Uchikura said. He said he "takes the accident seriously" and that the ASDF "will do our best to identify the cause and improve aviation safety." The T-4 seats two and is a "domestically produced, highly reliable and maintainable training aircraft ... used for all basic flight courses," according to the Defense Ministry website. Aerial footage of the lake soon after the crash, broadcast by NHK, showed an oil slick on its surface dotted with what appeared to be debris.
The Independent
22-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Two confirmed dead following Japanese training plane crash
Two Japanese air force members died shortly after their training aircraft crashed last week, the air force chief confirmed on Thursday. The T-4 plane, carrying two crew members, crashed into a reservoir minutes after taking off from Komaki Air Base in central Japan's Aichi prefecture on May 14. Autopsies revealed both crew members, aged 29 and 31, died just two minutes after takeoff, according to Air Self-Defense Force Chief of Staff Gen. Hiroaki Uchikura. The cause of the crash remains under investigation, prompting the grounding of all 196 remaining T-4 training aircraft for emergency inspections. Witnesses at the time told the NHK national broadcaster that they heard a loud noise like thunder, followed by sirens of police cars and fire engines. Defence Minister Gen Nakatani previously said the T-4 plane, which operates out of Nyutabaru air base, in the southern prefecture of Miyazaki, was heading back to its home base on an unspecified mission. Officials previously searched an area near the Iruka pond reservoir, approximately six miles northeast of the base and near the city of Inuyama, where debris from the aircraft has been discovered. This incident is the latest in a string of defense aircraft accidents in recent years, coinciding with Japan 's accelerated military buildup in response to China 's growing regional influence. Japan's doubled defense spending has raised concerns that weapons procurement may be prioritised over safety measures.
CNA
22-05-2025
- General
- CNA
Two Japanese soldiers confirmed killed in training plane crash
TOKYO: The Japanese military confirmed on Thursday (May 22) that remains recovered from the crash of a training plane last week were those of two soldiers. The Air Self-Defense Force's T-4 training aircraft crashed near a lake in central Japan's Aichi region immediately after taking off at its Komaki Air Base last week. "The deaths of its two crew members were confirmed today," Hiroaki Uchikura, head of the ASDF, told a news conference. "It is gut-wrenching that we lost these precious lives of our comrades," Uchikura said. A search after the crash soon led to the discovery of what appeared to be remains but officials could not immediately identify them. However, "a subsequent official analysis confirmed, much to our sorrow, that these belong to two soldiers on board that we had been looking for", Uchikura said. He said he "takes the accident seriously" and "will do our best to identify the cause and improve aviation safety". The T-4 seats two and is a "domestically produced, highly reliable and maintainable training aircraft ... used for all basic flight courses", according to the defence ministry website. Aerial footage of the lake soon after the crash broadcast by NHK showed an oil slick on its surface dotted with what appeared to be debris.
Japan Today
15-05-2025
- General
- Japan Today
Japan starts emergency inspections on nearly 200 military training planes after crash
By Mari Yamaguchi Japan's Air Self Defense Force has begun emergency safety inspections on all of its nearly 200 military training aircraft after one of the planes crashed minutes after takeoff, officials said Thursday. The T-4 training aircraft, operated by the JASDF, and carrying two service members, crashed into a reservoir Wednesday, minutes after taking off from Komaki Air Base in the central Japanese prefecture of Aichi. While the search operation for the missing aircraft and the two crew members continued Thursday, the military announced that it had started emergency inspections on all remaining 196 of the training planes deployed at JASDF bases across the country. Their operation has been suspended since the crash and they will remain grounded until the cause is identified and safety checks are completed, Hiroaki Uchikura, the air force chief of staff, told reporters on Wednesday. The crash is the latest in a series of defense aircraft accidents in recent years and comes at a time when Japan is accelerating a military buildup to deter China's influence in the region and double its defense spending, raising concern that funding for weapons may be prioritized over safety measures. The crashed plane was a 36-year-old T-4 operated out of Nyutabaru Air Base, in the southern prefecture of Miyazaki. It wasn't fitted with a voice recorder or a flight data recorder, a setback for the investigation. Defense Minister Gen Nakatani on Thursday announced plans to promptly fit the training aircraft with voice and flight data recording equipment. The JASDF said Thursday the plane experienced trouble when it reached an altitude of 4,000 feet (1,200 meters) about one minute after takeoff. Kyodo News agency said that air traffic control didn't receive any contact from the T-4 aircraft about an emergency. The force said the plane was lost from radar two minutes after departure and crashed into a reservoir called the Iruka pond, about 10 kilometers (6 miles) northeast of the air base. Witnesses told the NHK national broadcaster that they heard a loud noise like thunder at the time of the crash. Debris believed to be of the aircraft, as well as lifesaving equipment and helmets of the crew were found near the reservoir. © 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
CNA
14-05-2025
- General
- CNA
Japanese military training plane crashes with two on board
TOKYO: A Japanese military training plane crashed near a lake shortly after takeoff with two people on board, authorities said on Wednesday (May 14). "A T-4 training aircraft that belongs to the Air Self-Defense Force crashed at 3:08 pm (2.08pm, Singapore time) after radar lost (it) near a lake ... after taking off at Komaki Air Base" in central Japan, Defence Minister Gen Nakatani told reporters. Nakatani said two people were on board, without revealing their identity. "We don't know what caused the aircraft to crash, but we will continue to do our utmost to save lives," he said, adding that the military has been carrying out search operations. An aircraft part was found near the scene, but it was unclear whether it was from the crashed plane, Nakatani said. The T-4 seats two and is a "domestically produced, highly reliable and maintainable training aircraft ... used for all basic flight courses", according to the defence ministry website. The aircraft was flying around Lake Iruka near Inuyama city north of Nagoya. "There is no sight of the plane yet. We've been told that an aerial survey by an Aichi region helicopter found a spot where oil was floating on the surface of the lake," local fire department official Hajime Nakamura told AFP. Aerial footage of the lake broadcast by NHK showed an oil sheen on its surface, dotted with what appeared to be various pieces of debris. Jiji Press said the local municipality had said there had been no damage to houses in the area.
