On December 16, DPJ Next Minister of Defence Shu Watanabe issued the following statement.

Today, at 3:40 pm, a U.S. Navy MH-60 helicopter belonging to Carrier Air Wing Five made an emergency landing at a landfill site in Miura City, Kanagawa Prefecture. It is reported that two of the four crew members were injured, but further details of the accident are as yet unclear.

We are alarmed that an incident such as this has occurred while the results of the investigation into the crash of the U.S. military helicopter at Camp Hansen in Okinawa Prefecture this August still remain unpublicized.

We call on the U.S. military and the Japanese government to take the fact that this accident occurred in a highly-populated area, where city offices and schools are situated, very serious, and engage in a detailed explanation, investigation of the causes, prevention of reoccurrence, and safety management.