Japanese Military Training Plane Involved in Incident Near Lake

A T-4 training aircraft belonging to the Japan Air Self-Defense Force crashed shortly after takeoff, prompting search and rescue efforts.

TOKYO – A Japanese military training plane crashed near a lake shortly after takeoff on Wednesday, May 14th, according to authorities. The aircraft, a T-4 training plane belonging to the Air Self-Defense Force, went down at 3:08 pm (local time) near Lake Iruka after losing radar contact following its departure from Komaki Air Base in central Japan.

Defense Minister Gen Nakatani confirmed that two people were on board the aircraft but did not release their identities. "We don't know what caused the aircraft to crash, but we will continue to do our utmost to save lives," he stated, adding that search operations were underway.

An aircraft part was discovered near the crash site, though its origin was yet to be confirmed. The T-4 is a domestically produced training aircraft, designed to accommodate two individuals, and is used for basic flight courses, as stated on the defense ministry website.

The incident occurred near Inuyama city, north of Nagoya. Hajime Nakamura, a local fire department official, reported that "There is no sight of the plane yet. We've been told that an aerial survey by an Aichi region helicopter found a spot where oil was floating on the surface of the lake." Aerial footage broadcast by NHK showed an oil sheen on the lake's surface, along with what appeared to be debris.

Jiji Press reported that the local municipality had stated there was no damage to residential properties in the vicinity.