Poor communication between crew members triggered panic aboard a United Airlines jumbo jet involved in an accident in 1998 at Narita airport that injured 24 people, according to a Transport Ministry report released Friday.

In the accident, which occurred on May 12, 1998, a flight attendant who mistook a flame on an engine for a major fire switched on an emergency escape warning without first confirming the situation with colleagues, the report of the ministry's Aircraft Accident Investigation Commission said.

Despite assurances by the captain that there was no fire, many panicked passengers evacuated the plane via emergency slides, during which 24 people suffered injuries, the report says.

The incident occurred on a taxiway moments after the Boeing 747 bound for Hong Kong left its gate around 6 p.m.

The report also concludes that the flame was caused by "torching," or incomplete combustion in the engine's exhaust port, after the engine shut down and pilots continued pumping fuel to it.

It calls on the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration to ensure that United Airlines crews receive better training to deal with such situations.

The report also covers two other accidents. Regarding an April 24 fire that destroyed a helicopter after an emergency landing in Mie Prefecture, the report said the craft landed too close to dead grass that was ignited by the aircraft's heated parts. In an Aug. 23 accident in which a crop-dusting helicopter severed an electrical cable in Miyazaki Prefecture, the report lays the blame to pilot error.

Tourism IT push urged

An advisory panel to the transport minister urged the government Friday to take steps to attract more tourists from abroad to promote exchanges between Japan and other countries.

In a report submitted to Transport Minister Hajime Morita, the Tourism Policy Council said Japan should try harder to attract more foreign tourists by taking advantage of the recent information technology revolution.

This is the first time in five years that the panel has issued a report on policy proposals.

Among the proposed measures are those to set up a system in which tourists can receive hotel and other tourism information via mobile communication devices and to create an environment in which elderly people can travel more easily.

The panel also suggested forming a special organization to encourage foreign movie producers to use Japan as a film location and introducing a system in which immigration procedures can be taken abroad to facilitate foreigners' entry to Japan when Tokyo hosts major international events such as soccer's World Cup.

Japan ranks 36th in the world in terms of the number of foreign tourists visiting the country.