The U.S. forces in Japan will ground all CH-53E helicopters to confirm their safety after the same type of chopper crash-landed near a U.S. military training area in Okinawa on Wednesday, Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera said.
The minister said that Maj. Gen. Charles Chiarotti, deputy commander of U.S. Forces Japan, told him of the decision during their talks in Tokyo on Thursday.
An official of the Defense Ministry's local bureau said the accident site was found to have been about 300 meters away from residential houses.