Japan expresses concerns as U.S. continues to fly Ospreys despite safety requests

Japan is concerned that the U.S. military is continuing to fly its V-22 Osprey aircraft despite its request to ground them following a fatal crash this week, a Tokyo's top government spokesperson on Friday.

Japan has urged the United States to confirm the safety of its Osprey military aircraft, after one crashed into the sea in western Japan on Wednesday, killing at least one person onboard, Japanese defense minister Minoru Kihara said.

"The occurrence of such an accident causes great anxiety to the people of the region," the minister said in the parliament on Thursday. "And we are requesting the U.S. side to conduct flights of Ospreys deployed in Japan after these flights are confirmed to be safe."

The United States is continuing to operate its military Osprey flights for now and that it was not aware of any official request for their grounding, the Pentagon said on Thursday. 

Asked about that request, Japan's chief cabinet secretary, Hirokazu Matsuno, said Tokyo had "officially" made the request.

"We are concerned that despite our repeated requests, and in the absence of sufficient explanation, the Osprey continues to fly," he said during a news conference.

A U.S. Osprey military transport aircraft based in Japan crashed in waters off the country's southwestern island of Yakushima on Wednesday. One unconscious person was found in the sea and later declared dead, according to the Japan Coast Guard.

The cause of the crash and the status of the seven others on board were not immediately known, and the search for the remaining seven aboard continues, the Japan Coast Guard said. 

The U.S. Air Force said that the CV-22 tilt-rotor transport aircraft involved in a "mishap" while carrying out a routine training had eight airmen on board. The Japan Coast Guard had initially said eight crew were aboard the crashed Osprey before revising the number down to six and then back to eight.

(With input from Xinhua)