The crash earlier this week of a U.S. Air Force CV-22B Osprey — the first fatal accident involving the tilt-rotor aircraft in Japan — has rekindled safety concerns, prompting Tokyo to ground its own Osprey fleet and ask the U.S. to do the same.
Citing anxiety among the public, Defense Minister Minoru Kihara had asked the commander of U.S. Forces Japan to suspend all non-emergency Osprey flights over its territory until the safety of the aircraft type could be confirmed. Despite the request, the Pentagon seems to have only halted operations of the Osprey variant involved in the crash, while other models continued to fly in Japan as of Friday, Kyodo reported, citing the Defense Ministry.
The lack of clarity regarding the Osprey grounding has prompted concerns in Tokyo, with Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno saying that flights were being carried out “without sufficient explanation of flight safety confirmation.” He also called the incident "deeply regrettable" as it caused "great anxiety to people" in the region where it happened.