An army spokesman said Sunday that wreckage and five bodies were discovered during a deep-sea search for crew on board a helicopter that vanished from radar earlier this month.
The aircraft, which had ten people on board, went missing on April 6, in what the Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF) described as a “aerial accident.”
The UH-60JA was carrying two pilots, two mechanics, and six crew members, including a GSDF general from the 8th division.
The newly discovered wreckage appeared to be from the missing helicopter, but there were no details on the identities of the bodies recovered, according to an army spokesman.
“There are still five left undiscovered, so search and rescue operations are underway simultaneously,” the spokesman told AFP.
Coastguard rescuers had already discovered several pieces of debris that appeared to be from the helicopter, including a door, a snapped blade and a yellow life raft that was still packed inside a bag.
There has been no indication of what caused the apparent accident.
Japan’s military, which is ostensibly limited to defensive activity under the country’s postwar constitution, has had a few mishaps.
In January 2022, a Japanese fighter jet crashed in waters off the coast of central Ishikawa, killing both pilots on board.
In 2019, an F-35A stealth fighter jet crashed into the sea after taking off on a training mission from northeastern Japan. The crash sparked a race to recover the pilot and the secrets on board.
The pilot, who died in the crash, appeared to have suffered from spatial disorientation, according to Japan’s defense ministry.