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US F-16 accidentally drops inert bomb while on training flight in Japan

This happened outside the zone of training flights

US F-16 fighter jet AP Photo/Lee Jin-man

US F-16 fighter jet

© AP Photo/Lee Jin-man

TOKYO, November 7. /TASS/. A US F-16 fighter jet accidentally dropped an inert bomb during a training flight in Japan’s Aomori Prefecture, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference on Thursday.

"We demanded the US make every effort to avoid similar incidents," Suga stressed, noting that Washington was reprimanded over the incident.

Earlier reports said the F-16 dropped a dummy bomb outside the zone of training flights. No injuries have been reported.

Minor aircraft incidents have been on the rise in Japan over the past years, which causes serious concerns among the population. These incidents are often related to US aircraft deployed to Japan, but sometimes they involve the country’s Self-Defense Forces.

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