A U.S. military V-22 Osprey plane crashed in the western Sea of Japan on Wednesday with eight people on board, the Japanese coast guard said.
A Coast Guard spokesman said he had no further details about the incident off Japan’s Yakushima Island.
A spokesman for US forces in the region said they were gathering information about the incident.
The crash happened at 2:47 pm (0547 GMT) and witnesses said the plane’s left engine appeared to be on fire as it descended into the sea, Japanese broadcaster MBC reported.
In August, the US Osprey crashed while transporting troops off the coast of northern Australia, killing three US Marines.
In December 2016, another disaster occurred in the ocean off the southern Japanese island of Okinawa, causing the US military to temporarily ground its aircraft.
The tilt-rotor aircraft, which flies like helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, is operated by the US Navy, US Marine Corps, and the Japan Self-Defense Force.
The deployment of the Osprey in Japan is controversial and critics say the hybrid aircraft is vulnerable. The US military and Japan said it was fine.
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