Helicopter with 2 Passengers from Taiwan Goes Missing Over Aso, Kumamoto Pref., Did Not Return at Scheduled Time

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:17 JST, January 20, 2026

A helicopter with three people aboard went missing over Aso, Kumamoto Prefecture, at around 11 a.m. on Tuesday.

According to the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry, a pilot and two passengers from Taiwan were aboard the tourist helicopter, which was scheduled to fly around the crater of Mt. Aso. The helicopter transmitted a distress signal and did not return by its expected time.