U.S. Helicopter Crashes on Okinawa, Adding to Safety Concerns

U.S. Helicopter Crashes on Okinawa, Adding to Safety Concerns
According to the Japanese Defense Ministry, the helicopter, a CH-53, made its landing in the Takae district of Higashi village, where the Japanese government has been building helicopter landing pads for the American military, a project
that a small but fierce group of residents have been protesting for years.
11, 2017
TOKYO — A transport helicopter made an emergency landing after catching fire on Wednesday in a United States military training
area on the northern part of Okinawa in Japan, stirring concerns about the deployment of the craft near civilian areas.
They are not properly maintaining their aircraft." The crash occurred on the same day
that a Japanese court ordered the central government to pay damages of 610 million yen ($5.4 million) to about 1,000 residents who had sued because of excessive aircraft noise from the United States’ Yokota Air Base, about 28 miles from Tokyo.
Mr. Onodera said that Japan had asked the United States to "immediately investigate the cause, prevent a recurrence, thoroughly implement safety controls, and supply detailed information." Mr. Onodera added
that the government was concerned by a recent spate of safety problems.
NHK, the public broadcaster, quoted the United States military as saying the helicopter had been stationed at the Futenma air base on Okinawa.