2 Japanese navy helicopters crash in the Pacific Ocean during training, leaving 1 dead and 7 missing

TOKYO (AP) — Two Japanese navy helicopters carrying eight crew members crashed in the Pacific Ocean south of Tokyo during nighttime training in a possible collision, leaving one dead while rescuers on Sunday searched for seven others missing, the defense minister said.

The two SH-60K choppers from the Maritime Self-Defense Force were carrying four crew each and lost contact late Saturday near Torishima island, about 600 kilometers (370 miles) south of Tokyo, Defense Minister Minoru Kihara told reporters.

The cause of the crash was not immediately known, but officials believe the two helicopters “highly likely” collided before crashing into the water, Kihara said.

The navy chief of staff, Adm. Ryo Sakai, said training involving the SH-60s will be suspended until the cause of the crash is determined and preventive measures are adopted.

Rescuers recovered a flight data recorder, a blade from each helicopter, and fragments believed to be from both choppers in the same area, signs that the two SH-60Ks were flying close to each other, Kihara said.

Search and rescue efforts for the missing crew were expanded Sunday with the deployment of 12 warships and seven aircraft. Japan coast guard patrol boats and planes also joined the operation.

U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel offered his country's to help with the search and rescue.

“We will stand together, side by side, with our friend and ally, Japan. My thoughts are with the crew members, and their families and friends during this challenging time,” he wrote on the social platform X.

The twin-engine, multi-mission helicopters developed by Sikorsky and known as Seahawks were modified and produced in Japan by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. They were on nighttime anti-submarine training, Kihara said. One lost contact at 10:38 p.m. and sent an automatic emergency signal a minute later.

Only one distress signal, called an emergency locator transmitter, was heard — another sign the helicopters were near the same place, because their signals use the same frequency and could not be differentiated, Kihara said.

One helicopter belonged to an air base in Nagasaki, and the other to a base in Tokushima prefecture. Officials were interviewing the pilot of a third aircraft that also participated in Saturday's training, Kihara said.

The SH-60K aircraft is usually deployed on destroyers for anti-submarine warfare, but is also used for search and rescue and other missions. Japan has about 70 of the modified helicopters.

Saturday’s training only involved the Japanese navy and was not part of a multinational exercise, defense officials said.

Japan, under its 2022 security strategy, has been accelerating its military buildup and fortifying deterrence in the southwestern Japanese islands in the Pacific and East China Sea to counter threats from China’s increasingly assertive military activities. Japan in recent years has conducted its own extensive naval exercises as well as joint drills with its ally the United States and other partners.

Saturday’s training was part of routine drills involving warships, submarines and Seahawk helicopters, the Japanese navy chief of staff said. During training, a number of helicopters hover together as they lower sonars into the water to detect submarines.

In 2017, a Japanese navy SH-60J, an earlier generation Seahawk, crashed during nighttime training due to human error, killing three crew. In July 2021, two SH-60s had a minor collision off the southern island of Amamioshima, both suffering blade damage, but causing no injuries.

Following the 2021 collision, the navy introduced a set of preventive measures to ensure enough distance between aircraft. Sakai said Saturday’s crash could have been prevented if all safety measures were adequately followed.

In the U.S., the fatal crash of a MH-60S Seahawk during training off California in 2021 was attributed to mechanical failure from unsuspected damage during maintenance, according to the Navy.

The crash in Japan also comes a year after a Ground Self-Defense Force UH-60 Blackhawk crashed off the southwestern island of Miyako due to an engine output problem known as “rollback,” leaving all 10 crew members dead.

Japan’s NHK public television said no weather advisories were issued in the area at the time of Saturday’s crash.

A Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force vessel sails near the site of a crash in the Pacific Ocean Sunday, April 21, 2024. Two Japanese navy helicopters carrying eight crew members crashed in the Pacific Ocean south of Tokyo during a nighttime training flight after possibly colliding with each other, the country's defense minister said Sunday. (Kyodo News via AP)

A Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force vessel sails near the site of a crash in the Pacific Ocean Sunday, April 21, 2024. Two Japanese navy helicopters carrying eight crew members crashed in the Pacific Ocean south of Tokyo during a nighttime training flight after possibly colliding with each other, the country's defense minister said Sunday. (Kyodo News via AP)

This undated photo released by and taken from the official website of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, shows a SH-60K chopper. Two Japanese navy helicopters of the same type crashed in the Pacific Ocean south of Tokyo during a nighttime training flight after possibly colliding with each other, the country's defense minister said Sunday, April 21, 2024. (The official website of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force via AP)

This undated photo released by and taken from the official website of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, shows a SH-60K chopper. Two Japanese navy helicopters of the same type crashed in the Pacific Ocean south of Tokyo during a nighttime training flight after possibly colliding with each other, the country's defense minister said Sunday, April 21, 2024. (The official website of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force via AP)

Japan's Defense Minister Minoru Kihara speaks to journalists at Defense Ministry in Tokyo early Sunday, April 21, 2024. Two Japanese navy helicopters carrying eight crew members crashed in the Pacific Ocean south of Tokyo during a nighttime training exercise after possibly colliding with each other, Japan’s defense minister said Sunday. (Kyodo News via AP)

FILE - An SH-60K anti-submarine helicopter sits on the flight deck of Japan's Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) helicopter carrier JS Izumo (DDH-183) off the coast of Brunei on June 26, 2019. Late Saturday, April 20, 2024, contact was lost with two Japanese navy SH-60K choppers carrying eight crewmembers, believed to have crashed in the Pacific Ocean south of Tokyo during a night-time training exercise, and rescuers were searching for the missing, Japan’s defense minister said. (AP Photo/Emily Wang, File)

NEW YORK (AP) — The King's Trust celebrated its new name, an update of King Charles III's long-running charity The Prince's Trust, and the expansion of its work in the United States with a star-studded gala in New York City on Thursday night.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the trust will continue to help young people around the world to build those key skills to support them into employment," Charles said in a statement read to the audience, offering his regrets for being unable to attend the event, which was the first organized under the charity’s new name. "Together, we can build a better future for the next generation.”

Rock & Roll Hall of Famer and gala co-chair Lionel Richie, who has worked with the charity for more than three decades, said Charles was doing well and had wanted to attend. Charles returned to public duties on Tuesday, following the announcement in February that he had been diagnosed with cancer and was undergoing treatment.

“I told him, ‘Stand still. Just recover,’” Richie said. “We've got many more of these galas to do in the future.”

The Prince’s Trust was founded in 1976 when then-Prince Charles used his severance pay from the Royal Navy to launch the nonprofit dedicated to helping unemployed young people in the United Kingdom get trained for jobs. Since then, the charity has expanded its education and employment initiatives into 25 countries.

Richie said he and other famous supporters in attendance would work to represent the charity in Charles’ absence. They included singers Sam Smith and John Legend, who performed to close the evening, and supermodels Kate Moss, Emily Ratajkowski and Ashley Graham. Actor Dominic West, who played Charles in later seasons of “The Crown,” also was on hand, along with Michaela Jae Rodriguez, who currently plays the head of a charity on the AppleTV+ philanthropy sitcom “Loot.”

Rodriguez said philanthropy is important to her in real life as well as on screen, focusing on supporting climate groups such as The Rainforest Alliance, but also charities supporting young people including The King's Trust.

“I think it’s important that we show up for the kids who want to strive, who want to have something that they can live for,” Rodriguez told The Associated Press. "We want to make make sure that they know they can do it.”

Victoria Gore, CEO of The King's Trust USA, said that kind of support always has driven the charity, but it has been very methodical about its expansion, especially in the U.S., where it launched its first program in The Bronx last year, an education project called the Enterprise Challenge.

“We don't want to double up on what somebody else is doing already,” Gore said. “It's about collaboration and meeting a need.”

The King’s Trust USA this year expanded its work to three cities — New York, Chicago and Detroit — and plans to launch two new initiatives later this year, said Michael De Roeck, head of programs.

The trust soon expects to launch an American version of its Get Hired program, a job fair for young adults in the program, and Development Awards, where those in the programs can get a $500 grant to purchase laptops, work clothes and other items to aid in their job search, De Roeck said.

The organization's work already has made an impact in those cities. Nakya Weeks, a 16-year-old high school student from Chicago, said the King's Trust Enterprise Challenge made an impact on her even before her team won the national award last year for her team's project to create a salon in an unused cosmetology lab at her school.

“It was awesome that people wanted to be a part of it,” said Nakya, who said the support for the project made her enjoy going to school more. She sees a future in education and hopes to attend Harvard University and become a traveling nurse.

Nakya's mom, Terry Lee, is thrilled by the change she has seen in her.

“It's a big deal to have someone to trust her, to believe in her, to help her follow her dreams and get her back on the right track,” Lee said. “It actually takes a village.”

American young people don't necessarily relate to being the recipients of interest from the British royal family as do young people in the U.K., De Roeck said.

“I mean, a lot of people have seen ‘The Crown,’” he said. "But everyone’s been incredibly positive about the programs once they see they work.”

Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP’s philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy.

Irina Shayk attends The King's Trust Global Gala at Casa Cipriani on Thursday, May 2, 2024, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Eileen Gu attends The King's Trust Global Gala at Casa Cipriani on Thursday, May 2, 2024, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Kate Moss, left, and Charlotte Tilbury attend The King's Trust Global Gala at Casa Cipriani on Thursday, May 2, 2024, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Dr. Dana Kraft, left, and Robert Kraft attend The King's Trust Global Gala at Casa Cipriani on Thursday, May 2, 2024, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Teyana Taylor attends The King's Trust Global Gala at Casa Cipriani on Thursday, May 2, 2024, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Lionel Richie, left, and Lisa Parigi attend The King's Trust Global Gala at Casa Cipriani on Thursday, May 2, 2024, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)