US Military Plane Crashes in Japan
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A fighter jet belonging to the US military crashed off Japan’s Okinawa Island, where the military has bases, Japanese media reported Thursday.
The plane was reported to be an AV8B Harrier II ground attack aircraft.
NHK cited Japan’s defense ministry as saying the jet crashed Thursday afternoon local time, but the exact time of the incident was not known.
According to the Okinawa Times, Japanese coastguard sent a helicopter and a patrol boat to search for the plane that went down into the sea east of Okinawa shortly after taking off.
Okinawa houses about 50,000 US nationals, which includes 30,000 military personnel, while most of the rest are civilian contractors.
Residents of the island have disapproved of the presence of US troops and military installations on 18 percent of the island, slamming them for accidents, crime and pollution.
There have been numerous protests against the US presence on the island and the islanders have often faced off with the Japanese government over the issue.
Following the continuing protests, the US military announced in July it was gearing up for the largest return of land to the Okinawa administration since 1972.
