TOKYO, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- Japan has asked the U.S. military to suspend its Osprey flights in Okinawa following a major accident Tuesday night, said the Japanese government.
Japanese Defense Minister Tomomi Inada said on Wednesday that she has asked the U.S. military to suspend Osprey flights until the cause of the accident is known and safety is ensured.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was quoted by local media as saying that the Osprey accident was "very deplorable."
A U.S. Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey aircraft belonging to the Futenma base in the city of Ginowan made a water crash-landing off Okinawa Tuesday night.
The five crew members aboard were ejected out of the aircraft and were rescued and sent to a U.S. naval hospital.
The Japanese and U.S. governments have been seeking to move the Futenma base from Ginowan to the less-populated Henoko coastal area of Nago.
The people of Okinawa, however, have been demanding the Futenma base to be relocated outside the prefecture.
