Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force says it will continue to keep all of its Osprey tilt-rotor transport aircraft grounded.
GSDF Chief of Staff General Morishita Yasunori said this at a news conference on Thursday, after the US military announced its decision the day before to ground all Ospreys it has deployed around the world.
Since a fatal crash of a US Air Force Osprey in southwestern Japan on November 29, the GSDF has kept all of its 14 Ospreys grounded for maintenance. They have been tentatively stationed at Camp Kisarazu in Chiba Prefecture, near Tokyo.
Morishita said that at the moment, he cannot say how long the grounding might continue.
He said the GSDF will examine when to resume Osprey flights after checking information from the US military.
On a US statement that a potential material failure could be blamed for the fatal crash, Morishita said the GSDF has confirmed the safety of Ospreys while operating the planes. He also said the cause of the accident has not yet been determined, so the GSDF is not in a position to comment. He added that priority will be put on flight safety.
The GSDF plans to transfer its fleet of Ospreys from Kisarazu to a new base to be built west of Saga Airport in western Japan in 2025.
Morishita said he understands that the plan will go ahead, because the transfer is necessary and indispensable to strengthen the defense of Japan's southwestern remote islands.
GSDF Chief of Staff General Morishita Yasunori said this at a news conference on Thursday, after the US military announced its decision the day before to ground all Ospreys it has deployed around the world.
Since a fatal crash of a US Air Force Osprey in southwestern Japan on November 29, the GSDF has kept all of its 14 Ospreys grounded for maintenance. They have been tentatively stationed at Camp Kisarazu in Chiba Prefecture, near Tokyo.
Morishita said that at the moment, he cannot say how long the grounding might continue.
He said the GSDF will examine when to resume Osprey flights after checking information from the US military.
On a US statement that a potential material failure could be blamed for the fatal crash, Morishita said the GSDF has confirmed the safety of Ospreys while operating the planes. He also said the cause of the accident has not yet been determined, so the GSDF is not in a position to comment. He added that priority will be put on flight safety.
The GSDF plans to transfer its fleet of Ospreys from Kisarazu to a new base to be built west of Saga Airport in western Japan in 2025.
Morishita said he understands that the plan will go ahead, because the transfer is necessary and indispensable to strengthen the defense of Japan's southwestern remote islands.
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Summary
Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF) in Japan has decided to continue grounding all Osprey tilt-rotor transport aircraft following the US military's global grounding. This decision comes after a fatal crash of a US Air Force Osprey in southwestern Japan on November 29. The GSDF will resume flights
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ID: 61c5b2fd-1ebf-4b4a-b13e-2e6ddd29173f
Category ID: nhk
URL: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20231207_33/
Date: Dec. 7, 2023
Created: 2023/12/08 06:30
Updated: 2025/12/08 20:29
Last Read: 2023/12/08 11:43