This archive report was first published on 3 November 2019.
On November 3, 2019, a Japanese government jet carrying Prime Minister Shinzo Abe experienced a minor fire mid-flight, but it was quickly extinguished with no injuries.
The incident occurred while Abe was en route to Bangkok from Tokyo on a Boeing 777-300ER to attend talks at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit.
According to reports, an in-flight announcement stated that an oven on the plane had sparked a small blaze about an hour after take-off.
However, just ten minutes later, another announcement confirmed that the fire had been extinguished, with no smoke or smell detected.
Despite the incident, there was no change to Abe's itinerary, and officials from the prime minister's office and the defence ministry could not immediately confirm the report.