Japan wants US fighter jet grounded after incident

A drop in engine oil pressure was the reason behind a United States F-16 fighter jet dumping two fuel tanks in the Japanese prefecture of Aomori, said the US military on Thursday. The Japanese government has asked for a temporary grounding of this aircraft type in the country.

The jet, which is based at Misawa Air Base, jettisoned two fuel tanks before making an emergency landing at Aomori Airport on Tuesday. One of the fuel tanks was found near the Fukaura town government office, while the other is still missing.

The US military said the pilot dumped the tanks after judging that the aircraft would not be able to keep flying when a warning of a drop in engine oil pressure showed up. It added that the pilot did so after checking the situation on the ground, which is "in line with procedures".

An investigation committee had been set up to look into the incident and to confirm the location of the other fuel tank.

The statement came a day after Japan's Defense Ministry requested that the US ground F-16 fighter jets in the country on Wednesday. It is the latest incident of concern involving US fighter jets in Japan's northeastern prefecture.

Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi told reporters on Wednesday that he takes the matter "very seriously" and instructed ministry officials "to work closely with the US to collect and analyze information to ensure that all possible measures are taken".

Though no injuries or property damage were reported, Makoto Oniki, senior vice-defense minister, was sent to Aomori to "bring local officials up to date on the incident" to soothe the public's nerves.

Safety measures urged

Fukaura Mayor Mitsuru Yoshita said he would press the US military to determine the cause of the incident and take steps to ensure there is no recurrence. "The incident brought home the stark realization that our town was in the flight path of training exercises," Yoshita said. "In light of that, I want to call on the US military to adopt stricter safety measures."

Aomori Governor Shingo Mimura said he is also taking the matter "very seriously" as this involved a large volume of flammable fuel and the possibility of a major disaster.

Misawa Air Base is a coastal base that houses both the US military and Japan's self-defense forces. There had been a number of similar incidents at the base, with one F-16 fighter jet dumping its fuel tanks into the sea off Aomori in 2015 and another ditching fuel tanks into a lake in 2018.

Separately on Thursday, Nikkei reported that Japan is planning to upgrade and extend the capability of its cruise missiles to hit objects over 1,000 kilometers away.