The Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force said Friday that the commander of the 8th Division, Yuichi Sakamoto, was confirmed to have been among the bodies recovered from the seabed following a recent helicopter crash in waters off Okinawa.
The death of Sakamato, 55, was confirmed through DNA analysis and by his family. He had just assumed the top position of the division headquartered in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, at the end of March.
The 8th Division is in charge of the defense of Kumamoto, Miyazaki and Kagoshima prefectures and is one of the rapid deployment divisions that would be dispatched to the southwestern islands in case of contingencies.
The GSDF had already announced a replacement for Sakamoto on Thursday, appointing Shinichi Aoki, the head of the 11th Brigade based in Sapporo in northern Japan, as the 8th Division chief.
Since the UH-60JA multipurpose helicopter went missing on April 6 with 10 people aboard, six bodies have been found on the seabed northwest of Miyako Island. Five have been recovered.
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