Latest news with #Nagai
Gulf Today
27-06-2025
- Gulf Today
Bear roaming at the runway halts flights at Japanese airport
A bear roaming the runway forced a Japanese airport to cancel flights on Thursday and declare itself off-limits to passengers for the day. The black bear appeared at northern Japan's Yamagata Airport early morning, immediately prompting the closure of its runway. This first sighting resulted in a delay of up to an hour of four flights, before the animal reemerged around noon, this time "running" on the runway. Airport staff used a car to chase it away and closed the runway again, with the bear still at large somewhere in the facility. "Given the situation there is no way we can host plane arrivals now," Yamagata Airport official Akira Nagai told AFP Thursday evening, adding the second closure led to 12 flight cancellations. With hunters brought in to set up a trap and police officers surrounding the airport to prevent the bear from escaping, "we're in a stalemate now", Nagai said. The facility plans to keep the runway closed till around 8:00 pm, the official said. Human encounters with bears have reached record levels in Japan, with 219 people attacked and six deaths in the 12 months to April 2024. Last month, a bear sighting brought a premature end to a golf tournament in central Japan, with organisers citing safety precautions. Climate change affecting food sources and hibernation times, along with depopulation caused by an ageing society, are causing bears to venture into towns more frequently, scientists say. Agence France-Presse
New York Post
26-06-2025
- General
- New York Post
Japanese airport facing ‘bear' traffic control problems on the runway
He might be smarter than the average bear. A Japanese airport is in a 'stalemate' with a black bear who has repeatedly disrupted operations on the runway and caused a dozen flights to be canceled on Thursday. The four-foot-tall bear was spotted near the tarmac of the Yamagata Airport at around 7 a.m., initially causing flights to be delayed as staffers struggled to shoo the animal away, Japanese outlet Yomiuri Shimbun reported. 4 A black bear was seen running around Japan's Yamagata Airport on Thursday. bbc Advertisement 4 Airport staff tried unsuccessfully to lure the bear away with a car. bbc Following the delay, the black bear entered the airport yet again and could be seen running around the tarmac as airport staff tried to used a car to chase it away. Footage from the airport shows the furry trespasser sprinting away from the vehicle, but the bear proved too difficult to herd away remains elsewhere inside the airport. Advertisement 'Given the situation there is no way we can host plane arrivals now,' Yamagata airport official Akira Nagai told Agence France-Presse. Hunters and officers have since been called to set up traps and catch the bear before he manages to escape the airport. 4 The bear is still believed to be inside the airport, with police and hunters called in to capture the wild animal. bbc 4 The bear's appearance led to delays and flight cancelations at the Japanese airport. Photo service japan – Advertisement 'We're in a stalemate now,' Nagai said. Japan has seen an uptick in bear encounters over the years as its declining population has seen humans retreat from shrinking rural villages that the large mammals are now reclaiming. Bear attacks have reached record levels over the past year, with Japan reporting six deaths and 219 attacks. Japan has since approved for hunters to shoot bears found in populated areas.
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Yahoo
Bear on runway halts flights at airport: "We're in a stalemate"
A bear roaming the runway forced a Japanese airport to cancel flights on Thursday and declare itself off-limits to passengers for the day. The black bear appeared at northern Japan's Yamagata Airport, immediately prompting the closure of its runway. The bear, which was about four feet tall, was first spotted near the runway at around 7 a.m. on Thursday, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported. This first sighting resulted in a delay of up to an hour of four flights, before the animal reemerged around noon, this time "running" on the runway. Airport staff used a car to chase it away and closed the runway again, with the bear still at large somewhere in the facility. "Given the situation there is no way we can host plane arrivals now," Yamagata Airport official Akira Nagai told AFP Thursday evening, adding the second closure led to 12 flight cancellations. With hunters brought in to set up a trap and police officers surrounding the airport to prevent the bear from escaping, "we're in a stalemate now," Nagai said. The facility plans to keep the runway closed till around 8:00 pm, the official said. Human encounters with bears have reached record levels in Japan, with 219 people attacked and six deaths in the 12 months to April 2024. Last month, a bear sighting brought a premature end to a golf tournament in central Japan, with organizers citing safety precautions. Climate change affecting food sources and hibernation times is a key factor, but as Japan's aging population shrinks, humans are leaving rural areas, and that is also leaving room for bears to move in. "Then that area recovered to the forest, so bears have a chance to expand their range," biologist Koji Yamazaki, from Tokyo University of Agriculture, told CBS News' Elizabeth Palmer in 2023. Japan is one of the only places on the planet where a large mammal species has been reclaiming habitat — which is good news for the bears, but if, as biologists suspect, the bear population is growing, the country will have to figure out new ways to protect people, and vital infrastructure like airports, from the animals. Japan's government in February approved a bill allowing hunters to shoot bears in populated areas. In December, a bear that rampaged through a Japanese supermarket for two days was lured out with food coated in honey. Police said the animal was trapped and later killed. Young Cuban girl asks Trump to lift travel ban stopping her from joining mom in U.S. Why are U.S. adults eating less fast food? Closing arguments set to begin in Sean "Diddy" Combs trial
Straits Times
26-06-2025
- Straits Times
Bear roaming runway halts flights at Japan's Yamagata Airport
The bear appeared at the airport early in the morning on June 26, immediately prompting the closure of its runway. PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM YAMAGATANEWS_YTS/YOUTUBE TOKYO – A bear roaming the runway forced a Japanese airport to cancel flights on June 26 and declare itself off-limits to passengers for the day. The black bear appeared at northern Japan's Yamagata airport early in the morning, immediately prompting the closure of its runway. This first sighting resulted in a delay of up to an hour of four flights before the animal reemerged around noon, this time 'running' on the runway. Airport staff used a car to chase it away and closed the runway again, with the bear still at large somewhere in the facility. 'Given the situation, there is no way we can host plane arrivals now,' Yamagata Airport official Akira Nagai said, adding the second closure led to 12 flight cancellations. With hunters brought in to set up a trap and police officers surrounding the airport to prevent the bear from escaping, 'we're in a stalemate now', Mr Nagai said. The facility plans to keep the runway closed till around 8pm, the official said. Human encounters with bears have reached record levels in Japan, with 219 people attacked and six deaths in the 12 months to April 2024. In May, a bear sighting brought a premature end to a golf tournament in central Japan, with organisers citing safety precautions. Climate change affecting food sources and hibernation times, along with depopulation caused by an ageing society, are causing bears to venture into towns more frequently, scientists say. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
CBS News
26-06-2025
- CBS News
Bear on runway forces airport in Japan to cancel flights: "We're in a stalemate"
Bear attacks in Japan at record high as the animals struggle to find food A bear roaming the runway forced a Japanese airport to cancel flights on Thursday and declare itself off-limits to passengers for the day. The black bear appeared at northern Japan's Yamagata Airport, immediately prompting the closure of its runway. The bear, which was about four feet tall, was first spotted near the runway at around 7 a.m. on Thursday, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported. This first sighting resulted in a delay of up to an hour of four flights, before the animal reemerged around noon, this time "running" on the runway. Airport staff used a car to chase it away and closed the runway again, with the bear still at large somewhere in the facility. "Given the situation there is no way we can host plane arrivals now," Yamagata Airport official Akira Nagai told AFP Thursday evening, adding the second closure led to 12 flight cancellations. With hunters brought in to set up a trap and police officers surrounding the airport to prevent the bear from escaping, "we're in a stalemate now," Nagai said. The facility plans to keep the runway closed till around 8:00 pm, the official said. Human encounters with bears have reached record levels in Japan, with 219 people attacked and six deaths in the 12 months to April 2024. Last month, a bear sighting brought a premature end to a golf tournament in central Japan, with organizers citing safety precautions. Climate change affecting food sources and hibernation times is a key factor, but as Japan's aging population shrinks, humans are leaving rural areas, and that is also leaving room for bears to move in. "Then that area recovered to the forest, so bears have a chance to expand their range," biologist Koji Yamazaki, from Tokyo University of Agriculture, told CBS News' Elizabeth Palmer in 2023. Japan is one of the only places on the planet where a large mammal species has been reclaiming habitat — which is good news for the bears, but if, as biologists suspect, the bear population is growing, the country will have to figure out new ways to protect people, and vital infrastructure like airports, from the animals. Japan's government in February approved a bill allowing hunters to shoot bears in populated areas. In December, a bear that rampaged through a Japanese supermarket for two days was lured out with food coated in honey. Police said the animal was trapped and later killed.
