Summary of the day
Here are all the key developments from the aftermath of Monday’s massive earthquake in Japan, which struck the Noto Peninsula in the central prefecture of Ishikawa.
The latest report of the death toll in Ishikawa prefecture at the time of writing was at 55.
Five crew members on a coastguard plane were killed and 379 people forced to evacuate a burning Japan Airlines jet after a horrific collision on a runway at Haneda airport in Tokyo. JAL flight 516, an Airbus A350, was engulfed in flames soon after landing as it struck the smaller coastguard aircraft waiting to deliver aid to the earthquake-hit Noto peninsula.
In the morning, Japan’s prime minister said the country is facing a “battle against time” to rescue those affected by a series of major earthquakes.
South Korea offered Japan condolences but also raised concerns over a tsunami advisory that included a map of a group of its islands also claimed by Tokyo. Other world leaders extended their condolences.
The massive earthquake that hit Japan yesterday may have shifted land near the epicentre up to 1.3 meters to the west.
Residents in the regions of Japan hit by earthquakes shared tales of destruction that included buildings damaged by fire, houses flattened, fishing boats sunk or washed ashore, and highways hit by landslides. Meanwhile, evacuees built bonfires to stay warm in the aftermath of the earthquake. During the daytime, around 120 people were said to still be awaiting rescue.
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Updated
Here’s the Guardian’s visual guide to the Tokyo airport collision, including footage shared on social media from inside the plane.
死ぬかと思った pic.twitter.com/S7rDPmyssl
— あ (@alto_maple) January 2, 2024
Number of injured passengers and crew on Japan Airlines revised down to 14
Fourteen people from the Japan Airlines flight suffered minor injuries, down from an earlier count of 17, according to Japan’s public broadcaster NHK, which cited fire officials.
Earlier the Tokyo Fire Department said that 17 people were hurt.
All 379 people on board the aircraft were swiftly evacuated after it burst into flames following a collision with a coastguard aircraft.
Five of the six people inside the coastguard plane were killed, with another person suffering severe injuries.
The incident caused severe disruption at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, with flights initially paused until its three other runways were reopened at around 9.30pm local time (12:30 BST).
Writing for the Guardian, Gavin Blair, a journalist in Tokyo, has the full report on the horrific runway crash at Tokyo airport.
He writes:
Those on the passenger jet, which had arrived at about 5.47pm local time from New Chitose airport on the northern island of Hokkaido, later spoke of their terror after hearing the thud of the initial impact.
Social media footage from within the cabin showed how passengers could see the flames at the back exterior of the plane through the cabin windows as it continued down the runway immediately after the collision.
“Smoke began to fill the plane, and I thought, ‘This could be really bad,’” said one male passenger. “An announcement said doors in the back and middle could not be opened. So everyone disembarked from the front.”
Airbus has said it will send a team of experts to assist French and Japanese authorities as they investigate the deadly accident involving one of its A350 planes at Tokyo’s Haneda airport.
The aircraft involved was MSN 538, delivered to Japan Airlines after production in November 2021 and was powered by Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines, Airbus added.
Airbus regrets to confirm that an A350-900 operated by Japan Airlines was involved in an accident during flight #JAL516 from Sapporo New Chitose Airport to Haneda International Airport shortly after 17:47 (local time) on 02 January 2024. All 367 passengers and 12 crew members…
— Airbus (@Airbus) January 2, 2024
Updated
Summary of the day thus far
The death toll following a powerful earthquake in Japan has risen to 55.
Rescue efforts continue to reach people who might be trapped under collapsed buildings.
Some residents of affected areas remain evacuated.
A Japan Airlines flight collided with a coastguard aircraft at Tokyo’s Haneda airport. Footage showed the airliner on fire on the runway.
All 379 people on the Japan Airlines plane were safely evacuated.
Five of the six people on the coastguard aircraft died in the accident.
Leaders from across the world extended their condolences to Japan following the earthquake.
Updated
Death toll rises to 55 after Japan earthquake
The death toll in Ishikawa prefecture has risen to 55 following yesterday’s massive earthquake, the Japanese public broadcaster NHK reports.
Updated
More foreign leaders are speaking out about the situation in Japan.
Nach dem schweren Erdbeben in Japan sind unsere Gedanken bei den Opfern und ihren Familien, die nun mit den Folgen dieser Naturkatastrophe kämpfen. Wir stehen an der Seite unserer japanischen Freundinnen und Freunde, @kishida230.
— Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz (@Bundeskanzler) January 2, 2024
Deeply sorrowed by the consequences of yesterday’s earthquake near Ishikawa Prefecture in Japan. My deepest condolences to the PM Kishida and the people of Japan. Our thoughts are with the families of the victims and with all those affected by this disaster.
— Petr Fiala (@P_Fiala) January 2, 2024
Romania 🇷🇴 stands by the people of Japan🇯🇵 in these difficult times. We send our heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of the earthquakes' victims.
— Klaus Iohannis (@KlausIohannis) January 2, 2024
“The European Union stands in solidarity with you and for any assistance Japan would require,” European Council president Charles Michel wrote today.
Europeans stand with the people of Japan following the devastating earthquakes @kishida230. We mourn with you the devastation and loss of life.
— Charles Michel (@CharlesMichel) January 2, 2024
The European Union stands in solidarity with you and for any assistance Japan would require.
Here are more images from Ishikawa prefecture, where buildings collapsed following yesterday’s massive earthquake.
Ed Galea, a professor and director of the Fire Safety Engineering Group at the University of Greenwich, has praised the crew of the Japan Airlines plane which was on fire at Haneda airport after colliding with a coastguard plane.
All passengers from the Japan Airlines flight were safely evacuated.
Galea wrote on social media:
You can see one of the JAL crew at the 4L exit urging passengers to come back to the exit. The crew member has a torch which they are using to attract passengers to the exit as the aircraft is filling with toxic smoke.
During the evacuation, the aircraft is nose down as the nose gear has collapsed. This makes the evacuation and the performance of the crew even more incredible. To use the 4L exits, passengers have to essentially climb up hill. That crew member at 4L is doing an astounding job.
Of the few passengers we can see on the ground and safely evacuated in the video, none have luggage, which is good behaviour by passengers, and presumably by crew who would have urged passengers to leave luggage behind.
Hats off to the JAL crew, you guys are amazing, all souls on board are safe.
Updated
Around 120 people still awaiting rescue following Japan's earthquake
Rescue crews are still struggling to reach some people following yesterday’s massive earthquake.
Reuters reports that Fumio Kishida, Japan’s prime minister, said:
The government has deployed emergency rescue teams from the Self-Defence Forces, police and fire departments to the area and is doing its utmost to save lives and rescue victims and survivors, but we have received reports that there are still many people waiting to be rescued under collapsed buildings.
Fires and damage to infrastructure have complicated efforts to reach trapped people.
A government spokesperson said there are around 120 cases of people awaiting rescue, Reuters reported.
Updated
The Asahi Shimbun, a Japanese newspaper, described how evacuees built bonfires to stay warm in the aftermath of yesterday’s earthquake.
About 20 evacuees warmed themselves by a bonfire in front of a convenience store. Several puddles in front of the store were frozen.
Sweet potatoes roasted over the fire were shared, and bites of the toasty tubers brought smiles to the faces of the children there who were wrapped in blankets.
Here are more photos from Japan today, where some locals remain displaced from their homes amid damage from yesterday’s massive earthquake.
Updated
In the regions of Japan hit by earthquakes on New Year’s Day, residents have been speaking of their experiences.
On the Noto peninsula, the destruction included buildings damaged by fire, houses flattened, fishing boats sunk or washed ashore, and highways hit by landslides.
“I’m amazed the house is this broken and everyone in my family managed to come out of it unscathed,” said Akiko, standing outside her parents’ tilting home in the badly hit city of Wajima.
The way 2024 started “will be etched into my memory forever”, she told AFP after what she called the “long and violent” earthquake on Monday.
“It was such a powerful jolt,” Tsugumasa Mihara, 73, said as he queued with hundreds of others for water in the nearby town of Shika.
Local authorities put the death toll at 48, but the number was expected to rise as rescuers comb through the rubble.
Aerial news footage showed the terrifying scale of a fire that ripped through the old market area of Wajima, where a seven-storey commercial building also collapsed. Quake damage impaired rescue efforts to put out the blaze.
Almost 33,000 households were without power in the region, which saw temperatures touch freezing overnight, the local energy provider said. Many cities were without running water.
Watch footage from Tokyo’s Haneda airport, where a passenger plane and coastguard aircraft collided earlier today.
Updated
Rahm Emanuel, the American ambassador to Japan, has praised “the professionalism of the flight attendants, crew, and emergency responders who successfully evacuated and saved the lives of all 367 passengers on the JAL flight”.
Our thoughts and prayers are with those affected by the plane accident at Haneda Airport, especially the missing Japanese Coast Guard personnel who were on their way to help the victims of yesterday's Ishikawa earthquake. As we await more information, we commend the…
— ラーム・エマニュエル駐日米国大使 (@USAmbJapan) January 2, 2024
Updated
Five dead in Japan airport collision
A total of five people who were on a coast guard aircraft at Tokyo’s Haneda airport have died as a result of a collision with a passenger plane, police confirmed, according to public broadcaster NHK.
Six people were on the coast guard aircraft, a Bombardier Dash-8, which was part of earthquake relief efforts.
Updated
4 dead in Tokyo airport collison
4 people who were on coastguard aircraft that collided with a Japan Airlines passenger plane at Japan’s Haneda airport are now confirmed dead.
One person is badly injured.
A total of six people were on the coastguard aircraft.
Updated
Here’s a map showing the flight path of the Japan Airlines passenger plane that caught fire after landing at Haneda airport, where it appeared to collide with a coastguard aircraft.
Updated
Citing the Tokyo Fire Department, NHK reports that one crew member of the coastguard aircraft was evacuated and the remaining five have been found, but their condition is not known at this stage.
Updated
Here are more photos from Tokyo’s Haneda airport.
A Japan Airlines plane appears to have collided with a coastguard aircraft after landing.
Passengers from the Japan Airlines flight evacuated.
Five coastguard members remain missing.
Updated
The coast guard plane that appears to have collided with a Japan Airlines passenger plane today was part of Japan’s earthquake relief efforts, carrying supplies to Niigata airport.
Updated
Here’s what we know at this point on the incident at Tokyo’s Haneda airport:
A Japan Airlines passenger plane carrying 379 people appears to have collided with a coastguard aircraft with six people on board.
All 379 people on the Japan Airlines plane have been evacuated.
Five out of the six coastguard members are unaccounted for.
Footage shows the passenger plane on fire on a runway at Haneda airport.
Updated
Five coastguard members missing after plane collision
Six people were on board a Japan Coast Guard aircraft thought to have collided with a Japan Airlines plane now on fire at Haneda airport.
Only one of the people on the Coast Guard plane is confirmed to have escaped, while the remaining five are currently unaccounted for.
Updated
A total of 379 passengers and crew members on the Japan Airlines plane that caught fire landing at Haneda Airport have reportedly been evacuated, NHK reports.
Updated
Passengers evacuated from Japan Airlines flight
Roughly 400 people on board a Japan Airlines plane that is now on fire at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport have evacuated, Reuters reports citing NHK.
Updated
Here’s what we know about the situation at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport.
A Japan Airlines plane appears to have struck a Japan Coast Guard plane as it was coming in to land at Tokyo’s Haneda airport.
Japan Coast Guard said it was looking into whether its plane collided with the airline flight.
Footage shows a Japan Airlines plane on fire and surrounded by smoke on the ground, with crews around it trying to extinguish the flames.
It is not yet clear if the coastguard plane had anything to do with rescue efforts for the quake or whether there are casualties.
A spokesperson for the airline said the plane carries more than 300 passengers, Reuters reports. It is unclear where the passengers are at the moment.
Gavin Blair contributed reporting
Updated
Plane on fire at Tokyo airport
A Japan Airlines aircraft is on fire at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, NHK reports, adding that work is ongoing to extinguish the fire.
Live footage of the plane, surrounded by smoke, can be seen here.
More details soon.
Updated
World leaders extend condolences to Japan
Officials across the globe have expressed their solidarity with Japan.
Solidarité avec le Japon qui doit surmonter les conséquences de forts séismes.
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) January 1, 2024
Nous partageons l'immense douleur des familles des victimes.
Cher @kishida230, tu peux compter sur le soutien et l'aide de la France.
L'Italia è al fianco del popolo giapponese in questo momento difficile. Rivolgo al Primo Ministro @kishida230 le condoglianze per le vittime del terremoto. Siamo pronti a fornire al Giappone tutto l'aiuto e il sostegno necessari.
— Giorgia Meloni (@GiorgiaMeloni) January 1, 2024
Here are the latest images from Japan, as the country grapples with damage resulting from yesterday’s massive earthquake and its aftermath.
Earthquake may have shifted land up to 1.3 meters
The massive earthquake that hit Japan yesterday may have shifted land near the epicenter up to 1.3 meters to the west, public broadcaster NHK reports, citing Japan’s Geospatial Information Authority.
The geospatial authority said that preliminary figures indicate that an observation point in Wajima City in Ishikawa Prefecture moved about 1.3 meters to the west, and that there was a westward shift of about 1 meter in Anamizu Town and 80 centimetres in Suzu City.
South Korea sends complaint to Japan over tsunami alerts displaying disputed islets
South Korea has offered Japan condolences but also raised concerns over a tsunami advisory that included a map of a group of its islands also claimed by Tokyo, Reuters reported.
Lim Soo-suk, a spokesperson of the South Korean foreign ministry, said:
Our government has sternly protested to Japan through a diplomatic channel and requested corrective action.
Japan continuing to experience smaller earthquakes.
Here is the latest earthquake activity map, from the Japan Meteorological Agency.
Updated
'Battle against time’ to find those trapped under rubble as death toll rises
Japan’s prime minister has said the country is facing a “battle against time” to rescue those affected by a series of major earthquakes which reportedly killed at least 48 people, injured dozens and sparked fires that destroyed homes.
Police and local authorities early on Tuesday reported cases of bodies being pulled from the rubble of collapsed buildings while others remained trapped.
“We must rescue them as quickly as possible, especially those who are trapped under collapsed structures,” Fumio Kishida said during an emergency disaster meeting.
One thousand army personnel have been dispatched to the worst-hit area in the country’s relatively remote Noto peninsula, but rescue operations have been hindered by badly damaged and blocked roads and one of the area’s airports has been forced to close due to runway cracks.
In Wajima city, fires were still burning at 7am local time on Tuesday and the fire department reports more than 100 homes and other buildings have been completely destroyed. At least 15 of the dead were in Wajima city, the the Kyodo news agency said.
The worst-affected area was around the Asachi-dori street, a district popular with visitors and known for its many wooden buildings. The cause and casualty numbers were currently unclear.
The quakes, the largest of which had a magnitude of 7.6 at a shallow depth of 10km, struck on the west coast of Japan’s main island on Monday and shook buildings in Tokyo, around 300km away.
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