Japan and the United States held a joint drill Wednesday in Okinawa that simulated the crash of a U.S. military plane.
The drill was aimed at confirming the initial response action to be taken for liaison and rescue operations following an accident involving a U.S. military plane outside its facilities in Okinawa.
The drill was the first involving the U.S. Navy and the exercise was conducted at the navy's White Beach facility in the city of Uruma. The drill scenario was that a U.S. military plane had crashed into a civilian area of Okinawa.
The drill involved Okinawa police, local firefighters and Defense Ministry and U.S. Navy personnel.
Participants conducted mock rescue operations and engaged in a fire-extinguishing drill. They cordoned off areas around the "accident site" with the Japanese side responsible for the outer areas of the site.
In 2005, the Japanese and U.S. governments compiled guidelines for responding to accidents involving U.S. military aircraft after a U.S. helicopter crashed in a university campus in Okinawa in 2004.