A U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II taxis on the runway at Kadena Air Base, Japan, on Jan. 13, 2025. (Tylir Meyer/U.S. Air Force)
An F-35A Lightning II made a precautionary landing at Kadena Air Base on Thursday, according to the Okinawa Defense Bureau.
The bureau made visual inspection and reported emergency vehicles gathered around the fighter jet at 11:55 a.m. following the landing, a bureau spokesman said by phone Thursday. The area defense bureau is an arm of Japan’s Ministry of Defense. The vehicles left an hour later, the spokesman said.
“We are confirming details with the U.S. military at the moment,” he said. “After receiving information, we will deal with this matter appropriately by sharing it with related municipalities, if necessary.”
Some Japanese government officials may speak to the press only on condition of anonymity.
The aircraft landed on the base’s northern runway due to an apparent oil leak, the Okinawa Times reported Thursday, citing an unnamed official with the defense ministry.
Precautionary landings are “standard procedure when pilots notice something out of the ordinary with their aircraft,” 18th Wing spokeswoman Maj. Alli Stormer said by email Friday. She did not confirm the defense bureau’s report.
“We are committed to conducting safe flight operations as we uphold our defense commitments,” she said.
The incident is the latest precautionary landing at the air base since January.
A KC-135 Stratotanker made a precautionary landing on Feb. 26, the Okinawa Times reported.
Two F-16 Fighting Falcons from Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., made precautionary landings, one each on Jan. 29 and Jan. 30, due to possible “jammed bullets,” the Ryukyu Shimpo reported at the time.
An F-16 also made a precautionary landing Jan. 13 at Kadena, according to the Ryukyu Shimpo. A day earlier, an F-22 Raptor made a similar landing at the base, the newspaper reported.
The 18th Wing has not confirmed those incidents.
At 1 p.m. Wednesday, two F-35As diverted to Naha Airport due to inclement weather conditions, according to a wing news release.
The fighters, with the Vermont Air National Guard’s 134th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, returned to Kadena later the same day without incident, the wing said in a follow-up statement Thursday.
“The 18th Wing extends our sincere thanks to the 9th Air Wing and the entire team at Naha Air Base for their exceptional support during the recent F-35 divert,” wing commander Brig. Gen. Nicholas Evans said in the statement Thursday. “Their professionalism and responsiveness were invaluable in ensuring the safety and well-being of our aircraft and personnel.”
Since beginning to phase out its F-15C/D fleet in December 2022, the wing has relied on a rotating force of fourth- and fifth-generation fighters, including F-22 Raptors, F-35 Lightning IIs and advanced F-16 Fighting Falcons to provide air defense in the Indo-Pacific.
As of January, rotational forces at Kadena have included F-35As from the 134th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron; F-16C Fighting Falcons from the 77th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C.; and F-22 Raptors from the 525th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, according to the wing.
Stars and Stripes reporter Keishi Koja contributed to this report.
