US chopper makes emergency landing in Japan

TOKYO: An American military helicopter made an emergency landing on a beach in Okinawa on Saturday, an official said, the latest in a series of accidents which have fuelled local opposition to US forces on the Japanese island.

There were no immediate reports of injuries from the landing in Uruma, a local fire department official said.

Footage aired by public broadcaster NHK showed the UH-1 helicopter, which appeared intact, surrounded by US servicemen and Japanese police on the sandy beach.

Immediate comment from the US military was not available.

Last month, a window from a US military helicopter fell onto a school sports ground near the Futenma marine air base in Okinawa, but no one was injured.

The incident also comes just two months after an American military chopper burst into flames after landing in an empty field on the island.