The U.S. military's AV-8 Harrier fighter jets resumed flights in Okinawa on Friday following inspections to confirm the safety of the aircraft after one crashed into the sea off Okinawa Island on Sept. 22.

Three jets took off from the U.S. Kadena Air Base in Okinawa at around 8:40 a.m., but Okinawa Deputy Gov. Mitsuo Ageda expressed his disappointment at the resumption of the flights given that the cause of the crash has not yet been determined.

"We are confronted with the reality that the U.S. military goes ahead with what it has decided to do even if people in the prefecture are not satisfied," he told reporters. "It is disappointing."