U.S. forces to join search for crashed Japan SDF choppers in Pacific

The U.S. military will join Japan's search and rescue efforts for seven missing Maritime Self-Defense Force members after two helicopters crashed in the Pacific over the weekend, Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara said Tuesday.The U.S. Navy will dispatch a P-8 patrol plane, Kihara told reporters, with the search areas off the Izu island chain, about 600 kilometers south of Tokyo, widening as time passes due to tides.Kihara also said the MSDF's oceanographic research ship Shonan has been deployed to find the exact locations of the helicopters' wreckage, as the debris could have sunk dee…READ FULL ARTICLE