Japanese military helicopter missimg off Okinawa with 10 on board

A Japanese military helicopter with 10 people on board disappeared from radar during a mission near an island in the southern region of Okinawa. As per official information, the aircraft had been on a reconnaissance mission when it went missing in the afternoon Thursday, in what the Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF) described as an "aerial accident". Search and rescue operations are ongoing, GSDF chief of staff Yasunori Morishita told reporters. Two pilots, two mechanics and six crew members were on board, including a GSDF general from the 8th division, he added.

The helicopter belonged to the army's branch in the southern Kumamoto region, according to public broadcaster NHK. After taking off from Okinawa's Miyako island before 4:00 pm, it was scheduled to have returned after an hour-long flight, NHK said. "Saving lives is our utmost priority," Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said while briefly addressing reporters, as officials scrambled to assess the situation.