A Japanese military helicopter has reportedly gone missing with three people on board, after ground commanders lost contact with it at about 11:00 am (local time) on Thursday.
The chopper was a naval training helicopter and was flying above Kagoshima prefecture in southwestern Japan, before it went missing.
"We are searching for an aircraft with three crew members including a trainee on board, and are investigating the cause of the incident," a spokesman for the Maritime Self-Defense Force, Japan's navy, told AFP.
More details are awaited.
