The Jian-8 plane crashed in Anji County in Zhejiang Province on last night, leaving the pilot dead, the ministry said in a statement on its website.
The fighter aircraft was conducting night flight training when the accident occurred, it said.
There are no casualties on the ground, the statement said.
Local military departments and other organisations rushed to the scene to deal with the aftermath, media reports said.
The crash is the first air accident since Beijing announced a new air defence identification zone (ADIZ) over disputed island in the East China Sea last month.