U.S. Helicopter Crashes on Okinawa, Adding to Safety Concerns<br />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<br />that a small but fierce group of residents have been protesting for years.<br />11, 2017<br />TOKYO — A transport helicopter made an emergency landing after catching fire on Wednesday in a United States military training<br />area on the northern part of Okinawa in Japan, stirring concerns about the deployment of the craft near civilian areas.<br />They are not properly maintaining their aircraft." The crash occurred on the same day<br />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.<br />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<br />that the government was concerned by a recent spate of safety problems.<br />NHK, the public broadcaster, quoted the United States military as saying the helicopter had been stationed at the Futenma air base on Okinawa.
