NAHA, Japan - A runway was closed for hours at Naha Airport in the southern island prefecture of Okinawa on Tuesday after a Japanese Self-Defense Forces fighter jet became immobilized following landing, according to the transport ministry.
There were no injuries in the incident involving an Air Self-Defense Force F-15 based at nearby Naha Air Base. Naha Airport runways are used both by civilian and SDF aircraft.
Runway B, where the F-15 landed, was closed from around 12:55 p.m. for about four hours before operations resumed, according to the airport office of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.
Passenger planes have been using Runway A since the incident, but there were delays in arrivals and departures.
According to a government source, the fighter jet had returned from a scramble mission before becoming immobilized. The F-15 was seen tilted to the left, with its left main landing gear broken.
The airport office said it was contacted by the ASDF immediately after the jet landed and was told that there had been "trouble during landing."
The fighter jet was lifted onto a truck by a crane and removed from the runway.
Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki told reporters that the incident was "gravely disappointing," calling for a prompt investigation into the cause and measures to prevent it from happening again.
Runway B has been in service since March 2020.
