Crash of US helicopter in Japan fuels protests against Ospreys

Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera said he demands the U.S. military provide him with information about the crash of an Air Force helicopter in Japan. The HH-60 helicopter crashed Monday near Camp Hansen in Okinawa during a training session. Three crew members who were on the helicopter are in stable condition, while the fourth is missing, the U.S. Air Force said. The crash occurred as Japanese officials and residents are protesting the U.S. military's deployment of Osprey aircraft to Okinawa, The Mainichi Shimbun said. The residents oppose the deployment due to Ospreys' history of safety concerns and crashes. The U.S. military began the deployment Aug. 3, but after Monday's crash, postponed sending 10 or more Ospreys to the Futenma facility in Okinawa. Twelve Osprey aircraft, which are capable of taking off vertically but fly like a plane, have already arrived in Okinawa.