US fighter jet crashes in Okinawa Island read more at here www.spinonews.com/index.php/item/949-us-fighter-jet-crashes-in-okinawa-island

Okinawa, Japan's southernmost district, is home to a large US military presence. The US bases are a source of tension with the island's residents, largely due to their cost and safety concerns

The fighter jet, a Marine Corps AV-8 Harrier Jump Jet, departed the Kadena US airbase and crashed 153 km (95 miles) off Hedo Cape, according to a local coast guard official.

A US Marine Corps pilot ejected safely when his fighter jet crashed into the waters east of the Japanese island of Okinawa, officials said.

The Japanese coast guard deployed rescue teams at 2 p.m and received a report two hours later that at least one person has been pulled from the crash site.

The pilot ejected and was rescued by a team from the US Air Force, the Marine Expeditionary Force said in a statement.

"The cause of the incident is under investigation," the statement added.

Although the aircraft is a single-pilot plane, the training version has two seats. It is unclear how many people were on board.

Okinawa houses about 50,000 U.S. nationals, which includes 30,000 military personnel, while most of the rest are civilian contractors.

Residents of the island have disapproved of the presence of U.S. troops and U.S. military installations on 18 percent of the island, blaming them for accidents, crime and pollution.

There have been numerous protests against the U.S. presence on the island and the islanders have often faced off with the Japanese government over the issue.