Wreckage found after US military Osprey plane with six crew onboard crashes in the sea near Japan killing at least one

THE wreckage of a US military aircraft has been found after it crashed in the sea off Japan.

Search operations began after the Japan Coast Guard were notified about the accident with one fatality confirmed.

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A deployed lifeboat was discovered at the crash site of the US Osprey hybrid tilt-rotor aircraft which was carrying six people.

Japan's Coast Guard posted photos of wreckage near Yakushima after an intense search operation on Wednesday.

It said it received an emergency call on Wednesday afternoon from a fishing boat near the crash site.

"We received information at 2:47 pm today.

"We were also notified that there were eight crew members on board."

It immediately headed to the site for search and rescue operations and found what appeared to be the remains of the aircraft.

Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno confirmed the aircraft disappeared from radar at 2:40 pm local time.

Witnesses said the aircraft's left engine appeared to be on fire as it approached Yakushima airport for an emergency landing, despite clear weather and light wind.

One of the eyewitnesses told the local media that the plane was circling before it exploded in the air and crashed into the sea.

Several boats that were fishing in the surrounding waters searched the area and found three people - with one "non-responsive".

Spokesperson Kazuo Ogawa added that there are no further details of the incident, including the status of the remaining five onboard.

A spokesperson for US forces in the region said they were still gathering information about the incident

The aircraft belonged to Yokota Air Base and was on its way to Kadena in Okinawa from Iwakuni.

It then changed its course towards Yakushima before going down into the sea.

Japan, which also operates Osprey aircraft, said on Wednesday it had no plans to ground the aircraft but had asked the US military to investigate the crash.

Another Osprey landed safely at the island's airport on Wednesday afternoon around the time of the crash

The Osprey, which is a tilt-rotor aircraft that can function as a helicopter and a turboprop aircraft, is operated by the US Marines, US Navy, US Air Force and the Japan Self Defense Forces.

Anti-military protesters in Japan often argue that it is a dangerous aircraft which is prone to accidents.

In August, three US Marines were killed after an Osprey crashed off the coast of Australia while transporting troops during a routine military exercise.

Another crash landed in the ocean off Japan's southern island of Okinawa in December 2016, prompting a temporary US military grounding of the aircraft.

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