A McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet fighter jet
© Toby Melville / ReutersA McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet fighter jet
A US F F/A-18 Hornet military jet has crashed in Japan, NHK reported, citing the country's Defense Ministry. It was stationed at the Iwakuni base in the Yamaguchi prefecture.

The plane crashed around 6:00pm local time in the Kochi Prefecture, the report said, adding that the pilot survived.

The US Marine Corps' Iwakuni Air Station hosts around 5,000 American troops and is used for Marine pilot training and to conduct air patrols with F/A-18 Hornets.

This incident is the latest in a series of F/A-18 crashes apparently plaguing the Marine Corps. In November two Hornets collided near Miramar in California during a training mission, forcing one of the pilots to eject.

In late October an F/A-18 pilot had to eject the plane after landing at the Twentynine Palms Strategic Expeditionary Landing Field and suffered minor injuries.

In July, another F/A-18C Hornet crash in Twentynine Palms killed 36-year old Marine, Maj. Richard Norton during a training mission.