Japan asks US to stop flying helicopters

Japan asked the U.S. military not to fly its Japan-based HH-60 helicopters until it determines why one crashed at a U.S. base on the southern island of Okinawa, as the U.S. Air Force said Tuesday that it stopped searching for a missing crew member after finding remains. Three of the helicopter’s four crew members ejected from the aircraft and were in stable condition, the U.S. Air Force said in a statement. It said the human remains found near the crash site were not yet identified. Japan’s defense minister had said Monday that information then available indicated all had survived. Japan formally complained to the U.S. over the crash, which occurred at a time of intense local opposition to the U.S. Marine Corps’ additional deployment of 12 MV-22 Osprey transport aircraft on Okinawa, where anti-U.S. military sentiment is a longstanding issue.