Japan Today
national

Bear sighting at Yamagata airport halts flights

1 Comment

A bear wandered onto the grounds of Yamagata airport in northeastern Japan on Thursday, prompting the closure of its runway and flight cancellations, local authorities said.

Although the bear has not yet been captured, the airport plans to resume normal operations from Friday, with increased patrols.

A total of 10 flights were canceled at the airport in Higashine, Yamagata Prefecture, while four others were delayed due to the incident.

The bear was first spotted by airport staff near the runway at around 7 a.m., leading to its closure for about 30 minutes from about 8 a.m.

The runway was reopened but then closed again at 11:55 a.m., shortly after the animal was spotted a second time on airport grounds, including the runway itself.

Local hunters set up three box traps to capture it.

© KYODO

©2025 GPlusMedia Inc.

1 Comment
Login to comment

Did he have a hat and a marmalade sandwich? Must be Paddington on his summer holidays!

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Login to leave a comment

Facebook users

Use your Facebook account to login or register with JapanToday. By doing so, you will also receive an email inviting you to receive our news alerts.

Facebook Connect

Login with your JapanToday account

User registration

Articles, Offers & Useful Resources

A mix of what's trending on our other sites