An Air Self-Defense Force training aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff from an ASDF base in Aichi Prefecture on Wednesday, with the fate of the two people aboard not immediately clear.
The ASDF T-4 training aircraft, which was bound for Nyutabaru Air Base in Miyazaki Prefecture, crashed shortly after takeoff from Komaki Air Base in the city of Komaki after disappearing from radar just after 3 p.m., officials said.
ASDF helicopters, as well as local police and fire department officials, were conducting rescue operations for the crew of the jet, Defense Minister Gen Nakatani told reporters Wednesday evening.
Nakatani said oil slicks and apparent parts of the aircraft had been spotted floating on the surface of a reservoir in Inuyama, Aichi Prefecture, where the jet was believed to have crashed.
"At this point, the cause of the crash is unknown, but we will continue to make every effort to rescue any survivors," he said.
In addition to its training role, the T-4, which is manufactured by Kawasaki Heavy Industries, is also used by the ASDF's Blue Impulse aerobatic team.
SDF aircraft have been involved a series of accidents in recent years.
In April last year, two Maritime Self-Defense Force SH-60K helicopters collided during nighttime training off a remote island near Tokyo, leaving all eight aboard both choppers dead.
That accident happened almost exactly a year after a Ground Self-Defense Force UH60 helicopter crashed off the coast of Miyako Island, Okinawa Prefecture, killing all 10 aboard, including the commander of the GSDF's Kumamoto-based 8th Division.
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