US F-16 fighter crashes off Japan

A US F-16 fighter jet crashed into the sea Sunday off Japan's northern Hokkaido prefecture but the pilot ejected safely, Xinhua reported.

A US F-16 fighter jet crashed into the sea Sunday off Japan's northern Hokkaido prefecture but the pilot ejected safely, Xinhua reported.

The pilot was later rescued by a Japanese vessel.

The aircraft that left the Misawa base in northeastern Japan at 9 a.m. for Alaska fell into the Pacific Ocean around 11.30 a.m., according to Japan's defence ministry.