Two B-1B Lancers taxi before taking off at Misawa Air Base, Japan, on April 22, 2025. (Mattison Cole/U.S. Air Force)
Two commercial flights were canceled Tuesday evening after a U.S. Air Force strategic bomber blocked a shared runway in northeastern Japan, according to local media reports.
Trouble with a B-1B Lancer at Misawa Air Base in Aomori prefecture prompted the runway closure from about 6 p.m. to 7:20 p.m., TBS Television reported Wednesday. The Air Force shares the runway with commercial flights at Misawa Airport and military flights by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force.
Footage posted Wednesday by RAB Aomori Broadcasting shows a stationary Lancer on what appears to be Misawa’s runway with emergency vehicles with flashing lights parked nearby.
A spokesman for the Tohoku Defense Bureau — an arm of Japan’s Ministry of Defense — confirmed by phone Wednesday that a U.S. military aircraft was involved in the runway closure and that two commercial flights were affected.
The bureau is seeking further details from the Air Force, he said.
Japan Airlines confirmed that a flight from Haneda Airport in Tokyo was unable to land at Misawa Airport and returned to Haneda. That aircraft’s scheduled return to Haneda was also canceled, affecting about 200 passengers, a spokeswoman said by phone Wednesday.
A Japan Air Self-Defense spokesman referred all questions about the incident to the Air Force. Stars and Stripes has reached out to Misawa’s 35th Fighter Wing for comment and more information.
At least two Lancers arrived at Misawa on April 15 for a rotational bomber task force mission, according to Pacific Air Forces.
The service routinely deploys Lancers, B-52 Stratofortress bombers and B-2 Spirit stealth bombers to the Indo-Pacific. Such task force missions began in January 2018 and have continued regularly since 2020.
The Air Force has not disclosed the number of bombers or airmen deployed to Misawa, or the expected duration of their stay.
It’s customary in Japan that some government and company officials speak to media without identifying themselves.
