Latest news with #JapanAirForce
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.
CTV News
16-05-2025
- General
- CTV News
Japan retrieves remains of 1 of 2 service members whose training plane crashed
Firefighters gather for a search operation as a Japanese air force plane crashed after taking off for a training flight, at a pond in Inuyama, central Japan, Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (Kyodo News via AP) TOKYO — Japanese defence officials said Friday they recovered the remains of one of two crew members who were missing since their military training aircraft crashed earlier this week. The air force T-4 aircraft carrying two service members crashed into a reservoir Wednesday, minutes after taking off from Komaki Air Base in the central Japanese prefecture of Aichi. On Friday, after two days of searching, rescuers recovered 'what appears to be the body of a crew member' and transported it to Komaki base for examination, Defense Minister Gen Nakatani told reporters. The air force grounded all remaining 196 of the training planes and began their emergency inspection on Thursday. The crash is the latest in a series of defence aircraft accidents in recent years and comes at a time when Japan is accelerating a military buildup to deter China's growing influence in the region. Japan has doubled its defence spending, raising concern that funding for weapons may be prioritized over safety measures. The crashed plane was 36 years old and wasn't fitted with a voice recorder or a flight data recorder. Mari Yamaguchi, The Associated Press
