This is one of the reasons that the F-35 kept going. With the F-22 legally blocked from export, American Allies invested heavily in the F-35 to replace aging jet fleets. Japan in specific has concerns over China's oceanic actions and North Korea's recent aggression against S Korea.Japan has grounded more than 200 F-15 jet fighters after a fuel tank fell off one of the aircraft during a training mission.
Flames were seen under the wing and fallen parts were scattered at sites near the western city of Komatsu.
No-one was injured in the incident and the plane landed safely.
It is the second time in three months that officials have suspended F-15 flights.
The 155kg (340lb) tank, which was empty, and parts of a dummy missile came free and fell from the plane as it was nearing a field for landing. The debris fell on 10 locations, including a sewage plant, officials said.
"We take this accident very seriously," Gen. Shigeru Iwasaki, the head of Japan's air forces, said at a news conference on Friday. He said the cause was under investigation.
In July, the fleet was grounded after a plane crashed into the East China Sea. The pilot, though presumed dead, is still listed as missing and no cause of the accident has been declared.
Japan Air Self-Defence Force officials said that all missions except emergency scrambles were suspended and will last until the safety of Japan's 202 F-15 fighters has been confirmed.
The latest incident comes as Tokyo is seeking to replace its aging fighter jets. It is considering both US-designed aircraft and the Eurofighter Typhoon in a deal expected by the end of the year and worth more than $8bn.
In fact China's recent actions have done what decades of pleading, threats and lectures from the United States could not. Gotten Taiwan, South Korea and Japan sitting down to discuss military cooperation.