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Japan air force condoles with Philippines over Sulu crash

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<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2021/news/07/08/20210704-ph-army-c130-mishap-patikul-sulu.jpg"/><figcaption>Rescue and recovery operation after a Philippine Air Force C-130 aircraft carrying army troops crash landed in Barangay Bangkal, Patikul, Sulu on July 4, 2021. <em>Courtesy of Joint Task Force Sulu</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA - Japan&#x27;s air force on Thursday conveyed its condolences to the Philippines following the deadly crash of a troop plane in Sulu that left 52 dead in the country&#x27;s worst military air accident in nearly 3 decades.</p><p>“We are deeply saddened by the plane crash in Sulu. We offer our sincerest condolences to all those who lost due to the tragic crash,&quot; unit commander Maj. Mizuno Masaki of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force said in a statement.</p><p>&quot;Nevertheless, we are still very grateful for the opportunity to visit the Philippines and work with the PAF (Philippine Air Force) for the first Air-to-Air bilateral training on HA/DR (Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief), especially this year which marks 65 years of friendship and 10 years of strategic partnership between our countries,&quot; he added.</p><p>The air forces of Japan and the Philippines completed its first air-to-air bilateral training held at Clark Air Base in Mabalacat City, Pampanga on July 5 to 8.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/05/21/sulu-c-130-plane-crash-death-toll">Death toll in C-130 plane crash in Sulu climbs to 50</a></li></ul><p>Due to the crash of PAF&#x27;s C-130 aircraft, the inflight training was canceled, the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines said.</p><p>The activity was focused on ground training such as load or offload training and simulated emergency procedure utilizing 1 C-130 aircraft from JASDF.</p><p>&quot;We shared our knowledge and experience through the exercise and achieved a higher level of coordination and operative capabilities on HA/DR with our Filipino counterparts,&quot; Masaki said.</p><p>“As a strategic partner and friend of the Philippines, we are very much satisfied that our bilateral training contributes greatly to further strengthen the cooperation between our 2 air forces,” he added.</p><p>As a maritime state, Japan said it recognized the importance of maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific and commits itself to working with the Philippines and other partner countries for peace and stability in the region.</p><p>In 2013, Japan came to the aid of the country after Super Typhoon Yolanda cut a swathe through central Philippines, killing over 6,000 people and leaving hundreds of thousands families homeless.</p><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=1722451" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>

<p>Japan's air force on Thursday conveyed its condolences to the Philippines following the deadly crash of a troop plane in Sulu that left 52 dead in the country's worst military air accident in nearly 3 decades.</p>

Japan's air force on Thursday conveyed its condolences to the Philippines following the deadly crash of a troop plane in Sulu that left 52 dead in the country's worst military air accident in nearly 3 decades.