Japanese Minister of Defense

Japan and the US prioritize safety after the Osprey incident.

Bộ trưởng Quốc phòng Nhật Bản - Mỹ điện đàm lần đầu sau sự cố liên quan máy bay Osprey

The Osprey is an aircraft with a dual-purpose design that can fly like a helicopter and a fixed-wing aircraft. (Source: Japan Today)

In a phone call on December 12, Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara and his US counterpart Lloyd Austin affirmed that ensuring safety must be the "top common priority" of the two countries after a fatal incident involving an Osprey military aircraft in the waters southwest of Japan last November.

Sharing with the press, Minister Kihara said that in the first bilateral exchange after this incident, he asked the US Secretary of Defense to stop deploying Osprey flights until the safety of this aircraft model is ensured.

In addition, the two sides exchanged views on the situation in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden in the Middle East, where commercial ships have been repeatedly attacked since the conflict between Hamas and Israel broke out in October.

On November 29, a US Air Force CV-22 Osprey transport aircraft crashed into the sea near Yakushima Island in Kagoshima Prefecture, killing all eight people on board.

Immediately after the incident, Tokyo suspended flights of the Ground Self-Defense Force's V-22 Osprey and called on Washington to make a similar move with the US Osprey squadron in Japan.

On December 6, the US announced the temporary suspension of operations of the entire Osprey aircraft fleet worldwide , after discovering technical problems.

Source