US resumes Osprey flights in Japan after deadly crash
TOKYO
The U.S. military yesterday resumed Osprey flights in Japan, a local official said, ending a three-month grounding of the tilt-rotor aircraft after the latest in a string of deadly crashes.
The move sparked anger however in the southern Okinawa region where most U.S. forces are based, with the governor saying worried locals had not been given an adequate explanation.
A U.S. Osprey crashed off Japan in late November, killing all eight people on board and prompting the decision the following month to ground aircraft worldwide.
"We visually confirmed from this [city hall] building that an Osprey was flying at 8:54 a.m.," an official from Ginowan, which hosts the Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Okinawa, told AFP.
It comes after the U.S. military said last week it would lift the grounding following "a meticulous and data-driven approach prioritizing the safety of our aircrews."
And on Wednesday, the Japanese Defense Ministry said both its Self-Defense Forces and the U.S. Forces in Japan could gradually resume Osprey flights from yesterday.
"There is no problem in the design and structure of Ospreys" and the accident was caused by a defect in specific parts of the aircraft, the ministry said.
