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Washington Post
14 hours ago
- Washington Post
Small bear disrupts Japanese airport, prompting low-speed chase on runway
Officials at a small airport in northern Japan conducted a low-speed car chase Thursday to thwart a security risk: a small black bear. An employee at Yamagata airport in Higashine, Yamagata Prefecture spotted the bear near the runway early Thursday morning, according to Japanese outlet Yomiuri Shimbun. Airport personnel briefly shut down operations to run safety checks when staff lost sight of the bear, Yomiuri Shimbun reported. The bear, about four feet tall, reemerged around noon to cause a level of havoc three times its size: Twelve flights were canceled Thursday as airport employees chased the bear around the runway, Yamagata airport official Akira Nagai told Agence France-Presse. 'We're in a stalemate now,' Nagai said at the time, noting that the airport would remain closed until 8 p.m. as they assessed the situation. Nagai confirmed to The Washington Post on Friday that the airport had resumed operations Thursday night after the bear seemed to disappear once more. Yamagata is one of the smaller airports in Japan. The sighting comes as Japan wrestles with an uptick in bear sightings — some of which have resulted in fatalities, Japanese outlet Kyodo News reported in April. Footage from Japan's Nippon TV showed the bear walking through a grassy field and running onto a runway Thursday as a bright-colored car followed behind. In one scene, the bear puts its paws on a fence. 'Given the situation there is no way we can host plane arrivals now,' Nagai told AFP that day. Nagai said hunters were hired to trap the bear. Local police also joined the effort by surrounding the premise, he added. The bear, to Nagai's knowledge, has not been captured. Local hunters are on the lookout. Nagai said he suspects the bear is hiding in the bushes or forest near the airport. Bear sightings — and attacks — in Japan have become increasingly common. Last January, Japan's Ministry of the Environment estimated that the number of bear sightings between April 2023 and October 2023, which is believed to be more than 19,000, surpassed the 18,000 sightings reported in 2020. A week before the black bear delayed flights at Yamagata airport, bear sightings caused a school to move a sports event indoors in Goshogawara, Aomori Prefecture, according to Yomiuri Shimbun. Cate Brown contributed to this report.
Wall Street Journal
a day ago
- Business
- Wall Street Journal
Trump's Escalating Pressure on Mexico Hits Its Financial Sector
Mexican authorities are taking over three financial institutions after the U.S. sanctioned them for allegedly money laundering for drug cartels. Photo: Alfredo Estrella/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images
Wall Street Journal
6 days ago
- Politics
- Wall Street Journal
Iran Launches Missile Barrage at Israel After U.S. Strikes
In its first missile attack since the U.S. struck its key nuclear facilities, Iran injured 16 people in Israel after sending a barrage of missiles toward the country. Photo: Ahmad Gharabli/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images
South China Morning Post
20-06-2025
- Climate
- South China Morning Post
Japan on alert against scorching temperatures after 4 die of heatstroke
At least four people have died of heatstroke and the Japan Meteorological Agency has warned people to take precautions against an early heatwave that has enveloped the nation. The sudden spike in temperatures began on Tuesday, with Kofu reporting a high of 38.2 degrees Celsius (100.7 degrees Fahrenheit), more than 10 degrees above average for the middle of June, which is typically the rainy season in Japan. Temperatures of 37.7 degrees were reported in Gunma prefecture and 37.6 degrees in Shizuoka. Tokyo recorded a high of 34.8 degrees and Osaka was at 33.4 degrees, according to the agency, with 547 locations across the country reporting temperatures past 30 degrees. The four people who died of heatstroke were all elderly and included a woman aged 96 who was found collapsed in a field in Gunma and later pronounced dead. Doctors in Tokyo treated 169 people for symptoms of heatstroke on Tuesday and a further 57 on Wednesday, Agence France-Presse reported. The above-average temperatures are expected to continue until the weekend. People walk down a street in the Yurakucho district in Tokyo, where temperatures topped 34 degrees Celsius on Wednesday. Photo: AFP 'The current heat is clearly unusual,' said Yukiko Imada, a professor at the University of Tokyo's department of Climate System Research.
Wall Street Journal
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Wall Street Journal
Iranian Missile Barrage Destroys Buildings in Central Tel Aviv
Damaged buildings in Tel Aviv after Iranian missile strikes on Monday. (Menahem Kahana/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images)
