Japanese Defense Minister Satoshi Morimoto said on Tuesday that the two recent accidents involving the U.S. military's Osprey aircraft occurred during tilting of its rotors.
Talking to reporters in Tokyo, he said the U.S. Defense Department gave the information to Japanese officials last week.
Ospreys crashed in Morocco in April and the U.S. state of Florida this month. The Bell-Boeing built aircraft can tilt its two rotors for takeoff and for vertical landing. It can also cruise at high speed.
The Florida accident occurred during target practice when the rotors were tilted halfway, while in the Morocco crash that killed two crew-members, the Osprey lost balance while its rotors were moving from an upright to forward position.
The U.S. plans to deploy the aircraft at the U.S. Marine Futenma base in Okinawa island of southern Japan despite local protests.
Morimoto said he had told the U.S. authorities that more information was needed to win the support of local municipalities for the deployment, Japanese media reports said.
For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com
Political News
June 05, 2026 16:18 ET A busy week for economic news flow saw a slew of reports being released that reflected the trends in the U.S. labor market. In Europe, economic growth and inflation data gained attention as the European Central Bank and Bank of England head for policy session later in the month. In Asia, the monetary policy session of the Indian central bank was in focus as the country, a major oil importer, reels under the pressures of a weaker rupee and rising inflation.