Japan Press Weekly

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2016 December 14 - 20 [US FORCES]

Osprey crash in Okinawa classified as highest in US military’s accident severity scale

The crash of a U.S. Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey into the sea off Okinawa was classified by the U.S. military as “Class A”, the highest in terms of severity, Akahata reported on December 16.

The U.S. Navy Naval Safety Center defines a “Class A” mishap as an accident that causes a death or property damage of two million dollars or more.

Documents that the U.S. military released show that the amount of damage from the December 13 Osprey crash is estimated to be 80.6 million dollars (9.43 billion yen). Given that the tilt-rotor aircraft was totally destroyed, the estimated damage is roughly equal to the price of an Osprey, Akahata pointed out.

However, the Japanese government is trying to make the incident sound less serious. Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga Yoshihide at a press conference on December 14 used the phrase “forced landing” to describe the crash with the aim of preventing the accident from fueling anti-U.S. military sentiment in Okinawa.