Officials of the Japanese Defense Ministry say a US F/A-18 fighter jet has crashed off the coast of the southwestern prefecture of Kochi.

That was reported www3.nhk.or.jp.

The accident took place at around 6 PM on Wednesday.

They note the pilot of the jet made an emergency escape. The Maritime and Air Self-Defense forces are conducting search and rescue operations. The plane was stationed at the US Iwakuni air base in Yamaguchi Prefecture.

A Marine Corps Harrier jet crashed in the Pacific Ocean off Okinawa’s main island in September. Its pilot was rescued.