Transport minister Kazuo Kitagawa urged the Japan Airlines group Tuesday to end a row among its top managers, saying the infighting could undercut the safety of the carrier's operations.
"I want them to terminate the discord speedily. It cannot be said that safe air transportation has nothing to do with stable management," the transport minister said.
"The situation in which Japan Airlines is mired is not easy," he said.
Four group directors visited JAL President Toshiyuki Shinmachi on Feb. 10 and handed him a petition signed by 50 senior JAL officials urging him to resign, along with Executive Vice President Katsuo Haneda and Senior Managing Director Hidekazu Nishizuka, to take responsibility for the company's safety and financial problems.
The JAL group continued to struggle with safety problems last year. It incurred a net loss of more than 23 billion yen in the three quarters through Dec. 31 and expects a 47 billion yen net loss for fiscal 2005, which ends March 31.
