A US Osprey military aircraft crashed on Wednesday off the coast of Japan, according to the coastguard.
The incident occurred near Yakushima Island, with information received at 2:47 pm local time.
The aircraft, a CV-22 Osprey belonging to the US Yokota air base in Tokyo, departed from the Iwakuni US base in the Yamaguchi region, heading for the Kadena base in Okinawa.
The coastguard confirmed that there were eight crew members on board, and at this time, no further details are available.
The island of Yakushima is situated south of Japan’s southernmost main island, Kyushu.
The Osprey aircraft, known for its tilt-rotor design, has a history of fatal crashes, with the most recent incident in August in northern Australia, resulting in three US marines’ deaths among the 23 on board.
The cause of the Japan crash is currently under investigation.”