GSDF Confirms Death of 8th Division Head Who Was Aboard Missing Copter

The Yomiuri Shimbun

19:50 JST, April 21, 2023

The Ground Self-Defense Force announced Friday it confirmed the death of Lt. Gen. Yuichi Sakamoto, the head of the GSDF’s 8th Division, who was on board the GSDF helicopter that went missing on April 6 off Miyako Island in Okinawa Prefecture.

The division is responsible for the defense and security of southern Kyushu. Sakamoto, 55, had just assumed his post at the end of March.

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