A Japan Air Self-Defense Force U-125 aircraft, similar to the aircraft that went missing today. (AFP Photo)
A Japanese air force plane with six people aboard went missing today, the defence ministry announced, and a search was under way in mountainous terrain.
The U-125 aircraft left a base in Kagoshima prefecture on Kyushu island in southwestern Japan in the early afternoon, said Yoshiyuki Sugiyama, head of the Air Self-Defence Force.
The small jet "disappeared from the radar", Sugiyama told a press briefing.
Public broadcaster NHK showed footage of helicopters searching forest-covered mountains for the aircraft, while military and emergency vehicles rushed towards the area.