Japan retrieves remains of 1 of 2 service members whose training plane crashed

Firefighters gather for a search operation as a Japanese air force plane crashed after taking off for a training flight, at a pond in Inuyama, central Japan, Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (Kyodo News via AP)

TOKYO — Japanese defence officials said Friday they recovered the remains of one of two crew members who were missing since their military training aircraft crashed earlier this week.

The air force T-4 aircraft carrying two service members crashed into a reservoir Wednesday, minutes after taking off from Komaki Air Base in the central Japanese prefecture of Aichi.

On Friday, after two days of searching, rescuers recovered “what appears to be the body of a crew member” and transported it to Komaki base for examination, Defense Minister Gen Nakatani told reporters.

The air force grounded all remaining 196 of the training planes and began their emergency inspection on Thursday.

The crash is the latest in a series of defence aircraft accidents in recent years and comes at a time when Japan is accelerating a military buildup to deter China’s growing influence in the region. Japan has doubled its defence spending, raising concern that funding for weapons may be prioritized over safety measures.

The crashed plane was 36 years old and wasn’t fitted with a voice recorder or a flight data recorder.

Mari Yamaguchi, The Associated Press