The top U.S. military commander in Japan rode Tuesday where no American has sat before — in the back seat of Japan’s newest fighter aircraft, the F-2.

During a visit here, Lt. Gen. Thomas Waskow, commander of the 5th Air Force and U.S. Forces Japan, teamed with Lt. Gen. Kunihiro Oda, head of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force’s Air Defense Command, in the first U.S.-Japan training mission involving F-2s and the American F-16s from Misawa’s 13th Fighter Squadron.

“Not only was today fun, but it showed the potential” for future training opportunities between Pacific Air Forces and JASDF, Waskow said.

The sleek F-2s, operated by JASDF’s 3rd Air Wing at Misawa, were thrust into duty this spring. Oda said he invited Waskow — a decorated Vietnam War combat pilot — to fly in the F-2 so he could get a firsthand glimpse of the aircraft’s capabilities and the skills of the JASDF pilots.

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