TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s army believes a missing helicopter carrying 10 crew members crashed into the sea off a southern island after objects appearing to be aircraft parts were spotted in the area.
The head of the Ground Self Defense Force, Yasunori Morishita, says the Black Hawk helicopter disappeared from radar on Thursday afternoon while on a reconnaissance mission north of Miyako island.
The government has been aggressively building up its defense capability in southwestern Japan in response to China’s increasingly assertive military activity in the region.
Morishita says the helicopter was stationed at a key regional army base and one of its 10 crew members is the division commander.
