A US military Osprey tiltrotor aircraft (Illustration: Kyodo).
A US military Osprey aircraft crashed into the sea near Japan's Yakushima Island on November 29 with eight people on board, the Japan Coast Guard said.
A spokesman for the Japan Coast Guard said they had no further details about the crash, including the condition of those on board.
The accident occurred at around 14:47 (local time) when Japanese forces received an emergency call reporting the accident. They are opening an investigation into the incident.
Witnesses said the plane suffered a fire in its left engine and crashed into the sea. A spokesman for US forces in Japan has not commented on the incident.
Yakushima Island is located south of Japan's southernmost main island of Kyushu.
In August, a US Osprey crashed in northern Australia, killing three US Marines out of 23 on board. The Boeing MV-22B Osprey crashed on Melville Island, north of Darwin, during a local military exercise.
In 2016, a US military-operated MV-22 Osprey crashed into the sea off the Japanese island of Okinawa, injuring five people, after a hose connected to the helicopter ruptured during a refueling exercise.
The US military then temporarily suspended operations of its MV-22 Osprey "sea eagle" squadron in Japan for a period of time to investigate.
The Osprey is considered a "hybrid" aircraft design because it can fly like a helicopter and a fixed-wing aircraft. The US Marine Corps, US Navy and Japan Self-Defense Forces operate this aircraft.
The deployment of the Osprey in Japan has been controversial, with concerns that the aircraft is prone to accidents. The US and Japanese militaries say it is safe.
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