An F/A-18 Hornet approaches the deck of the USS John C. Stennis off of Japan back in June. ( AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi

The Japanese Defense Ministry said that its military vessels and aircraft are aiding in a search and rescue effort for a U.S. Marine Corps pilot who ejected from a jet in southern Japan.




The USMC said that the pilot ejected from an F/A-18 jet during a typical training mission on Wednesday night, about 120 miles southeast of Iwakuni, reports AP. It is unclear who the pilot is.


The plane was assigned to the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing in Okinawa, Japan, according to a statement released by the USMC. In addition, it reads:

The aircraft was conducting regularly scheduled training at the time of the mishap. The cause of the incident is under investigation. There is no further information at this time.

It’s been a bad time for fighter jets lately, with the Russian Navy also suffering from a string of mishaps and accidents involving its fighter jets.

UPDATE December 8, 2016 4:38 p.m. EST: The Marine Corps have issued a press release, reporting that it managed to locate the pilot, Capt. Jake Frederick:

U.S. Marine Corps pilot Capt. Jake Frederick piloted the F/A-18C+ that went down off the coast of Iwakuni, Japan. The Japanese Ministry of Defense confirmed to local media Thursday that a Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force ship had recovered Frederick. He is pronounced deceased. We will provide more releasable information after the 24-hour window. Our deepest condolences go out to the family and friends of the pilot. The cause of the crash is still unknown.


We will update if we learn more.