An American airlines jet bound for Seattle on Sunday evening returned to Narita airport after a drunken 45-year-old Japanese passenger refused to stop smoking inside a lavatory shortly after takeoff, airline and airport officials said Monday.
The man, an employee of the Nihon Keizai Shimbun newspaper from Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward whose name has not been released, lit up in one of the plane's lavatories shortly after the Boeing 777 took off from Narita at 7:14 p.m., according to Chiba Prefectural Police and airport authorities.
He allegedly ignored demands by the cabin crew to come out, prompting the captain to decide to head back to Narita airport, authorities said.
The jetliner landed at 8:22 p.m. and the man was turned over to waiting authorities, they said, adding that the plane took off again later that evening.
Authorities strongly reprimanded the man, who later submitted a written apology stating that he would "never do it again."
Airline officials reportedly said they are considering demanding compensation from the man for losses incurred from his disruptive behavior.
The man, who belongs to the office management section of the economic daily's news department, was en route for a sightseeing trip.
Nihon Keizai spokesman Yutaka Akiyama said, "We apologize for causing serious trouble to the parties concerned."