Regular flights between Japan and China celebrated their 50-year anniversary on Sunday. Japan Airlines Co. had planned to hold a commemorative ceremony at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, but decided to cancel the event after a tragic incident in Shenzhen, China, where a 10-year-old Japanese boy was fatally stabbed on September 18.
The ceremony was supposed to feature speeches by JAL President Mitsuko Tottori and high-ranking officials from the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry and the Chinese Embassy in Japan. Additionally, there would have been a traditional Chinese performance and a commemorative banner.
However, due to the recent tragedy, JAL’s public relations department deemed it inappropriate to proceed with the celebratory event.
Meanwhile, at Beijing Capital International Airport in China on Sunday, passengers boarding two JAL flights bound for Haneda were greeted with a banner that read “Thank you for boarding” in both Japanese and Chinese languages.
