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Washington Post
11 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.
New York Post
2 days ago
- 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
2 days ago
- 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
CBS News
2 days ago
- 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.
The Star
2 days ago
- The Star
Hundreds of earthquakes rattle Japanese island chain
Pavement was left cracked in the city of Wajima, after a major 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck Japan's Noto region. - Photo: Yomiuri Shimbun/AFP TOKYO: A remote island chain in southern Japan has been rattled by more than 470 earthquakes since Saturday (June 21), the national weather agency said on Thursday (June 26), calling for residents to stay alert. No major damage has been reported from the series of quakes with a strength of at least one -- slightly perceptible to people seated quietly indoors -- on Japan's seven-point seismic intensity scale. As of Thursday morning, 474 such earthquakes had been observed around the Tokara island chain, south of Kyushu, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said. "Seismic activity has increased. As this region has experienced extended periods of earthquake activity in the past, please be vigilant against earthquakes that cause strong shaking," it said in a statement. The largest tremors recorded since Saturday were two magnitude-5.1 quakes, one on Sunday and one on Tuesday. They had a seismic intensity of four on the Japanese scale -- described as an earthquake in which "most people are startled", dishes rattle and "hanging objects such as lamps swing significantly". A similar period of seismic activity in the Tokara area was seen in September 2023, when 346 earthquakes were recorded within 15 days, according to public broadcaster NHK. Seven of the 12 remote Tokara Islands are inhabited, with around 700 residents in total. The islands, some of which have active volcanoes, are reached by a ferry that runs twice weekly in good weather. "An earthquake of up to magnitude-6 strength could take place, so please be vigilant," Hisayoshi Yokose, a marine volcanology specialist and associate professor at Kumamoto University, told NHK. Japan is one of the world's most seismically active countries, sitting on top of four major tectonic plates along the western edge of the Pacific "Ring of Fire". The archipelago, home to around 125 million people, experiences around 1,500 jolts every year and accounts for around 18 percent of the world's earthquakes. The vast majority are mild, although the damage they cause varies according to their location and the depth below the Earth's surface at which they strike. On New Year's Day 2024, more than 400 people died after a massive earthquake hit the Noto Peninsula in central Japan, including "quake-linked" deaths as well as those killed directly in the disaster. The January 1 quake and its aftershocks toppled buildings, caused fires and knocked out infrastructure at a time when families were celebrating the new year. - AFP
