Japan’s Defense Ministry will allow US military MV-22 Osprey flights to continue in the country, despite previously calling for them to be grounded after a fatal crash killed three marines. Tokyo says it accepts US assurances the flights are safe.
Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera had asked the US to temporarily stop flying the Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft in his country after a fatal crash off the coast of Australia on Saturday. The accident involved a US Marines aircraft stationed at an airbase in Japan.
However, the Japanese Defense Ministry softened its stance on Friday, issuing a statement which said the US military is “taking reasonable measures” and “the US force’s explanation that it can conduct safe flights of MV-22 Ospreys is understandable.”
“It is appropriate (for Japan) to demand flights with maximum consideration to safety, ” the statement reads, as quoted by AFP.
The statement comes just one day after the US Marine Corps said that “the Osprey is safe to fly.”
According to a US official cited by AFP, the crash occurred after the Osprey clipped the back of the ‘USS Green Bay’ while trying to land on the amphibious transport ship.
The US military reportedly resumed operations of the aircraft in Okinawa just two days after the fatal crash, which the Marine Corps has referred to as a “mishap.
