A Japanese Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle went missing over the Sea of Japan on Tuesday, local media reported.
The Japan Air Self-Defence Force launched a search operation after losing communication with the drone, according to Kyodo News.
Contact was lost at around 0358 GMT (12:58 pm local time) while the aircraft was flying about 50 kilometres off the coast of Tottori Prefecture in western Japan.
The force described the mission as a training flight but declined to provide further details.
The Japan Coast Guard later said debris believed to be from the Global Hawk had been found at sea.
Japan operates three RQ-4 Global Hawk surveillance drones purchased from US defence company Northrop Grumman.
The aircraft were first deployed at Misawa Air Base in northeastern Japan’s Aomori Prefecture in 2022.
