Japan Asks U.S. Not to Fly Ospreys Until Safety Confirmed
11:40 JST, December 13, 2023
Tokyo (Jiji Press)—Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara on Tuesday reiterated the country’s demand that the United States not resume flying Ospreys until the safety of the tilt-rotor military transport aircraft is confirmed.
Kihara made the demand in telephone talks with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
The U.S. military grounded its entire fleet of Ospreys last week after the U.S. Air Force’s CV-22 Osprey crashed off the coast of southwestern Japan on Nov. 29, leaving all eight crew members dead.
The Japanese minister also asked the United States to share information about the investigation into the crash and efforts to resume Osprey flights.
Austin told Kihara that his country’s top priority is the safety of U.S. service members and Japanese communities. The two ministers confirmed that Japan and the United States will work together to ensure the safety of Osprey flights.
Kihara and Austin discussed ways to ensure free and safe navigation in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The two ministers agreed that Japan, the United States and South Korea will step up security cooperation, including the sharing of information on North Korean ballistic missiles in real time.
"Politics" POPULAR ARTICLE
-
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida Promotes Revised NISA Investment Program to Young People; Kishida Focusing on Moving Money From Savings to Investment in a Safe Environment
-
“High Probability” 2 MSDF Patrol Helicopters Collided near Torishima Island; 1 Dead, 7 Others Onboard Missing (Update 2)
-
Japan, U.S., S. Korea Coast Guards Sign Pledge to Strengthen Cooperation
-
Japan-U.K. Foreign Ministers Confirm Deepening Cooperation in Security Field; Kamikawa Underscores Importance of NATO Ties
-
Japan Ruling Party Struggles in ‘Kingdom of Conservatives’; Liberal Democratic Party Battered By Fundraising Scandal
JN ACCESS RANKING
- Weakening Yen Adds Complexity to BOJ’s Rate Hike Decisions; Rising Commodity Prices may Impact ‘Virtuous Cycle’ Efforts
- 70% of Japan Companies to Raise Pay Scales in FY 2024
- Core Consumer Prices Rise 2.8% in Fiscal 2023
- China Mutes Memorialization of Reformer Hu Yaobang; Memories Could Spark Critique of Xi Administration
- U.S. 7th Fleet officer Arrested on Suspicion of Stealing Sushi, Sashimi, Chicken at Kanagawa Shopping Mall; Suspect Caught Mid-Meal