SYDNEY, April 28. /ITAR-TASS/. Japan will no longer participate in the search operation for Malaysia Airlines Boeing that disappeared on March 7 while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera said on Monday.

Onodera is currently in the Australian city of Perth, were he met with Japan’s Air Force officers that participated in the search and rescue operation. Tokyo has provided four military planes for the operation – two C-130 transport planes and two P-3C surveillance planes.

On Sunday, search was halted because of the severe weather conditions. On Monday, the search and rescue operation has resumed.

The sector with an area around 54,920 sq km located about 1,670 km to the west off Perth will be searched by 9 planes and 12 ships. This will be the last operation for the Japanese Air Force planes.

Boeing 777-200 (flight MH370) was flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 227 passengers and 12 crewmembers on board on March 7. Contact with it was lost about two hours after its departure from the Malaysian capital.