26 September 2016, 19:01 GMT
TOKYO (Sputnik) — Japanese media reported that a total of 16 stealthy fighter jets would be stationed at the Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in the Yamaguchi prefecture. The Kyodo agency said they were to replace the obsolete AV-8B Harriers and F/A-18 Super Hornets.
"ANNOUNCED: The future of U.S. Marine Corps aviation, the F-35 Lightning II set to hit MCAS Iwakuni in 2017," the US Forces Japan (USFJ) said on its official social media accounts.
The United States has significant military presence in Japan, although over 70 percent of it is concentrated in Okinawa.
