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US Fighter Jet Crashes Off Japan, No Damage or Injuries Reported

Posted on: Tuesday, 17 January 2006, 06:00 CST

Text of report in English by Japanese news agency Kyodo

Naha, Japan, 17 January: A US F-15 jet fighter crashed into the sea near an island in eastern Okinawa during a training mission Tuesday [17 January] and the pilot ejected safely, the US military said. The incident occurred about 70 km east of Ikeijima Island, some 15 km east of the main island of Okinawa, at around 10 a.m., the US Air Force and Okinawa Prefecture said.

The pilot, who ejected from the aircraft, was later recovered by a US search and rescue team, the US Air Force said. The F-15 belonged to the Kadena Air Base in Okinawa. The accident occurred in an area used by the US military for flight drills, the Japanese Defence Agency said. According to the Japan Coast Guard, oil was seen floating near the accident site and a coast guard patrol ship headed to the site.

In Tokyo Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe told a press conference that no damage to anything other than the aircraft had been done, but stopped short of denying that the accident might have an impact on the planned realignment of the US military presence in Japan. "Okinawa residents are very sensitive about moves and safety issues involving the US military," he said. "We want to take firm measures to prevent further accidents," he said. Japan and the United States, with the aim of reaching a final agreement in March, are discussing ways to implement their October accord on the realignment.

Source: BBC Monitoring Asia Pacific

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