<p class="title rtejustify">Six US marines were missing after two American military aircrafts crashed on Thursday during a refuelling operation off the coast of Japan, officials from both countries told AFP.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">The two planes -- an F-18 fighter and a C-130 tanker -- were involved in a "mishap about 200 miles off of the coast of Japan around 2:00 am" according to a statement from the US Marines in Japan.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">A US defence official told AFP that there had been a crash after the plane took off from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in southern Japan.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">A spokesman for Japan's Self-Defence Forces said one of the airmen had been rescued but the immediate fate of the remaining crew members was unclear.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">The crew member was being assessed by doctors, the Marine statement said, adding that "the search and rescue operations continue for the remaining six."</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">The C-130 was thought to be carrying five servicemen and the F-18 two, said the Japanese official, who added that Japan had scrambled four aircraft and three ships in the search.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">US media also reported five crew on the C-130 and two on the F-18.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">"We are thankful for the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force's efforts as they immediately responded in the search and rescue operation," the Marines said.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">The planes took off from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in southern Japan and were "conducting regularly scheduled training when the mishap occurred," the statement said.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">The circumstances of the mishap are currently under investigation, the military added.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">The US military has about 50,000 troops stationed in Japan and accidents are not uncommon.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">In November, a US navy fighter jet crashed into the sea off Japan's southern island of Okinawa and its two crew members were rescued alive.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">The US military has also experienced difficulties with its Osprey helicopters, with several emergency landings, a deadly crash and a piece of the chopper falling on the grounds of a Japanese school.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">Those incidents have stoked tensions between close military allies Washington and Tokyo and led to protests against the deployment of Ospreys by residents living near US bases.</p>
<p class="title rtejustify">Six US marines were missing after two American military aircrafts crashed on Thursday during a refuelling operation off the coast of Japan, officials from both countries told AFP.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">The two planes -- an F-18 fighter and a C-130 tanker -- were involved in a "mishap about 200 miles off of the coast of Japan around 2:00 am" according to a statement from the US Marines in Japan.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">A US defence official told AFP that there had been a crash after the plane took off from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in southern Japan.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">A spokesman for Japan's Self-Defence Forces said one of the airmen had been rescued but the immediate fate of the remaining crew members was unclear.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">The crew member was being assessed by doctors, the Marine statement said, adding that "the search and rescue operations continue for the remaining six."</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">The C-130 was thought to be carrying five servicemen and the F-18 two, said the Japanese official, who added that Japan had scrambled four aircraft and three ships in the search.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">US media also reported five crew on the C-130 and two on the F-18.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">"We are thankful for the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force's efforts as they immediately responded in the search and rescue operation," the Marines said.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">The planes took off from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in southern Japan and were "conducting regularly scheduled training when the mishap occurred," the statement said.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">The circumstances of the mishap are currently under investigation, the military added.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">The US military has about 50,000 troops stationed in Japan and accidents are not uncommon.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">In November, a US navy fighter jet crashed into the sea off Japan's southern island of Okinawa and its two crew members were rescued alive.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">The US military has also experienced difficulties with its Osprey helicopters, with several emergency landings, a deadly crash and a piece of the chopper falling on the grounds of a Japanese school.</p>.<p class="bodytext rtejustify">Those incidents have stoked tensions between close military allies Washington and Tokyo and led to protests against the deployment of Ospreys by residents living near US bases.</p>