The Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF) has begun conducting V-22 Osprey flights again, nearly four months after a deadly crash that resulted in the deaths of all the American crew aboard last year.
The United States military operating within Japan resumed Osprey flights almost a week ago after a ban on tilt-rotor aircraft was rescinded on March 8th, with operations resuming on March 14th after the Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Futenma in Okinawa Prefecture began flying the aircraft again.
A JGSDF Osprey took off from Camp Kisarazu in Chiba Prefecture around 11:30 a.m. today. Camp Kisarazu is acting as a temporary site to house the fourteen V-22s. Eventually, the Japanese Defense Ministry will transport the fleet from Kisarazu to Saga, in southwestern Japan, by 2025.
With concerns over the reliability of the aircraft, JGSDF authorities informed the local government of Kisarazu of a resumption plan. Defense Minister Minoru Kihara also promised to brief local officials further on the matter.
