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Pilot of crashed U.S. fighter jet rescued in Japan

Xinhua, December 8, 2016 Adjust font size:

A pilot of a U.S. military fighter jet crashed into the sea off western Japan on Wednesday was rescued on Thursday, according to local media, quoting Japanese defense officials.

The condition of the pilot has not been revealed so far. The pilot was set to be sent to the Marines' Air Station Iwakuni in southwestern Japan's Yamaguchi prefecture, said Kyodo News.

The F/A-18 fighter jet stationed at the U.S. Iwakuni base was flying together with another fighter jet in a training area for the U.S. military on Wednesday when crashed into the Pacific Ocean about 130 km south of the city of Kochi in western Japan.

The pilot bailed out from the plane and the next day a Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force rescue flying boat found the pilot.

Kochi Governor Masanao Ozaki on Thursday called for the clarification of the cause of the accident by the U.S. side, and a suspension of low-altitude training flights over Shikoku, one of Japan's main islands which has four prefectures including Kochi, by the U.S. military until the cause of the accident is clarified. Endit