Pilot rescued after US F-15 crashes off Okinawa, Japan

This May, 2017 photo shows a US Air Force F-15 fighter jet at Kadena Air Base on the southern island of Okinawa in Japan. AP

TOKYO — The US military says an Air Force F-15C fighter jet has crashed in waters south of Okinawa in southern Japan.
The Air Force said in a statement Monday that the pilot ejected and has been rescued.

The cause of the 6:30 a.m. crash is under investigation. The F-15C from the Air Force’s Kadena Air Base in Okinawa was on a routine training mission.

The US has a heavy military presence in Okinawa that has been the source of friction with the local government and some residents. About half of the 50,000 American troops in Japan are stationed on the southern island. /ee

READ: US fighter jet crashes off Japan coast