(Provisional translation by an external company for reference purpose only)
I would like to report on the crash of the Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) helicopters. Regarding the crash of MSDF SH-60K helicopters on April 20, eight personnel lost their lives tragically in the line of duty. I attended the funeral ceremonies. As I also stated before the spirits of the deceased, the loss of these eight precious lives who had dedicated themselves to the defense of our country fills me with the greatest regret. I would like to express my heartfelt condolences once again, and my sympathies are with their bereaved families. Immediately after the incident, we established an incident investigation committee under the Maritime Staff Office, and have made every effort to determine the cause of the incident and formulate measures to prevent recurrence. The investigation revealed that watchkeeping procedures had been inappropriate during the nighttime flight, when visual distance was difficult to ascertain, and that altitude management had been inadequate under the complex operational environment. These were identified as the causes of the incident. To prevent recurrence, we will put in place measures including thoroughly enforcing watchkeeping reporting guidelines and responses again, and tightening altitude management by unifying the responsibility for altitude management under the sea combat commander under all circumstances. With regard to the MSDF‘s SH-60 aircraft, although training conducted with multiple aircrafts had been suspended, in light of the results of this investigation, we have decided to lift the suspension from today. For the present, we will commence training with a single command system in daytime conditions with good visibility. After taking concrete measures to prevent recurrence and confirming that conditions are safe, we will gradually resume nighttime training or training with multiple aircrafts under multiple command systems. The Ministry of Defense and the Self-Defense Forces take very seriously the results of the investigation into this incident, which resulted in the loss of eight lives. Going forward, we will put every effort into preventing the recurrence of such incidents, with firm resolve and determination to ensure that not a single life is lost.