According to officials, objects appearing to be aircraft parts were spotted in the area, indicating a possible crash.
The UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter disappeared from radar on Thursday afternoon while on a reconnaissance mission north of Miyako island. Debris believed to be aircraft parts was spotted in the area, about 1,800km (1,120 miles) southwest of Tokyo, according to Yasunori Morishita, the head of the Ground Self Defense Force. Morishita also stated that the helicopter was stationed at a key regional army base in Kumamoto prefecture on the southern main island of Kyushu, and one of its 10 crew members is the division commander, Yuichi Sakamoto.
