The bodies of seven Navy sailors - missing following a collision between a USA destroyer and a massive cargo ship near Japan - were found inside their submerged vessel, officials said.
"I express my heartfelt solidarity to America at this hard time", he said, praising USA servicemen in Japan under the allies' bilateral security pact.
The US Navy destroyer the USS Fitzgerald was damaged in a Saturday collision that left seven sailors dead.
Rescuers are searching for missing Seven US Navy crew members and at least three injured after the warship collided with the merchant ship off the coast of Japan.
Live footage shot from a helicopter Saturday morning by Japanese broadcaster NHK showed heavy damage to the mid-right side of the Navy ship, which appeared to be stationary in the water.
Three people were medically evacuated to the U.S. Naval Hospital in Yokosuka after the collision, including the ship's commanding officer, Commander Bryce Benson, who was reported to be in stable condition, the Navy said.
Several other USA crew members were injured in the accident and had to be evacuated by air to hospital, including the vessel's commanding officer Bryce Benson, who is "undergoing treatment", Aucoin said. US authorities tacitly acknowledged there were no survivors, although Aucoin declined to say how many bodies had been recovered until relatives of the dead sailors are notified.
The crash damaged two berthing spaces, a machinery room and the radio room, according to the USA 7th Fleet. The Navy said in a statement that Cmdr. The other two sailors suffered lacerations and bruises.
Despite the significant damage, Aucoin told CNN the ship can be repaired, so "you will see the USS FITZGERALD back as one of our warships".
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USA aircraft as well as Japanese helicopters were dispatched to help assist the search effort.
"The bodies of the sailors missing in the collision of USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) and a merchant vessel, was found", - said in an official statement.
"This has been a hard day", said Vice Adm. Joseph P. Aucoin, the commander of the 7th Fleet.
Aucoin described the damage and flooding as extensive, including a big puncture under the ship's waterline, and said the crew had to fight to keep the destroyer afloat.
Fitzgerald's commander, Cmdr. Bryce Benson, was evacuated by a Japanese naval helicopter while U.S. military copters evacuated two injured USA sailors. "Thank you to our Japanese allies for their assistance".
The ACX Crystal has docked at Tokyo's Oi wharf, where its 20 Filipino crew members are being questioned.
There were no reported injuries on the container ship, which is operated by the Japanese shipping company Nippon Yusen K.K.
But on Sunday, a group of accident investigators from the Japanese transport ministry found damage to the container ship that had been hidden under the waterline when it arrived in Tokyo the previous night.
The container ship ACX Crystal weighs 29,060 tons (26,363 tonnes) and is 222 metres long, much larger than the 8,315-ton (7,543-tonne) Navy destroyer.
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