Overview

• Flights returned to normal by Friday after a roughly 13-hour closure of the runway on June 26.
• The bear first delayed four morning flights at 7 a.m. and then forced cancellation of 12 midday departures when it reappeared around noon.
• Airport personnel chased the animal with a vehicle while hunters set traps and police cordoned the airport in a standoff officials described as a stalemate.
• The animal’s whereabouts remain unknown, and authorities continue perimeter camera monitoring and trap checks to prevent escape.
• The government has approved expanded hunting in populated areas to curb a surge that saw 219 bear attacks and six fatalities in Japan in the year to April 2024.