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Japan grounds F-15s

TOKYO— The Japanese Air Self-Defense Force has grounded its F-15 fighter jets since Sunday following a recent crash of the same type of aircraft in the United States, Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Tuesday.

Ishiba told reporters that ASDF commanders ”instructed the suspension of flights of F-15 aircraft Sunday afternoon for the time being” until the cause of the crash is determined.

As the ASDF has also grounded F-2 fighters since an Oct. 31 crash of an ASDF plane of the model at Nagoya airport, F-4 fighters will deal with airspace incursion ”for the time being,” Ishiba said.

The F-15 crash in the United States occurred Friday during a routine training operation in Missouri, according to the Associated Press.