Arab News Japan

TOKYO: A US military helicopter made an emergency crash landing on Tuesday morning in a rice field in the southwestern Japanese city of Kushima, Miyazaki Prefecture, without causing any casualties.

Local police reported that the accident occurred around 9:25 am on July 27.

The Japanese media published videos showing the plane landed in a rice field in an incident expected to provoke new protests against the massive US military bases in Okinawa.

According to Miyazaki Prefecture, the US military helicopter crash-landed took off from the Air Self-Defense Force Nittahara Base in Shintomi Town, Miyazaki Prefecture, after 8 am 27th.

The aircraft is an “AH-1” belonging to US military Futenma base. Two American soldiers were on board.

The Koshima police station of the Miyazaki Prefectural Police said the landing site was located about 500 meters from the nearest village. No one was hurt, including two crew members on board.

Local defense and police authorities are checking the reasons for the belly landing.