More than a month after Japan Airlines Corp. filed for bankruptcy protection, the initial sense of panic has been replaced by one of seeming calmness as the operations of the nation's biggest carrier continue without disruption.
But despite the calm surface, aviation experts warn the risk of liquidation in the future remains, with details yet to be unveiled about how JAL will push through an unprecedented scale of restructuring that will deeply cut its workforce.
The carrier's fate is now in the hands of Chairman Kazuo Inamori, a charismatic 78-year-old entrepreneur and founder of Kyocera Corp. who has a solid track record of turning around struggling companies — except for Willcom Inc., a mobile phone operator he advised that has filed for court protection.