The U.S. military in Japan will not fly CH-53D helicopters at the request of the Japanese government until it is "appropriate" to do so, the U.S. government said in a statement released Saturday.
The statement, released through the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, said the United States "fully appreciates the concern over the safe operations of these and all other U.S. military aircraft in Japan and will work closely with Japanese officials."
The move comes after a Marine CH-53D Sea Stallion helicopter crashed Aug. 13 at the campus of Okinawa International University adjacent to the Futenma base in Ginowan, Okinawa. Three crew members were injured, but no one on the ground was hurt.