Top Management Changes at JAL

Japan Airlines today announced a reshuffle of top management positions, which supercede the changes announced March 10. The airline said the new changes are due to a series of incidents that have drawn reprimands from the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Japanese aviation regulators.

Toshiyuki Shinmachi, currently president of Japan Airlines Corporation, the JAL Group holding company, will now take over the presidency of Japan Airlines International and Japan Airlines Domestic from 1 April in addition to his existing post.

On March 10, Shinmachi was designated JAL Group C.E.O., subject to the approval of the general meeting of stockholders in June. This move is now being brought forward to 1 April.

Isao Kaneko, JAL Group chairman and C.E.O. will assume the post of chairman of the executive committee from April 1st, stepping down as JAL Group chairman and C.E.O. He will also resign as chairman of JAL International.

Mr Kaneko became president of Japan Airlines in June 1998 and in October 2002 was appointed C.E.O. of Japan Airlines System Corporation, the JAL Group holding company established to supervise the integration of Japan Airlines and Japan Air Systems. After the integration of the two airlines was completed in April 2004, Mr. Kaneko became C.E.O. and chairman of the newly created JAL Group, and concurrently chairman of two new airlines, Japan Airlines International and Japan Airlines Domestic.

Katsuo Haneda, now president of Japan Airlines International, will become executive vice president of the three main JAL Group companies (JAL Corporation, JAL International and JAL Domestic) from 1 April 2005.

The current president of JAL Domestic, Mitsuo Komatsubara, will remain on the board as a senior vice president and will retire in June.

Other changes are the demotion of Takenori Matsumoto, representative director and senior managing direcetor in the three JAL companies, to managing director. Hidekazu Nishizuka, executive vice president of Japan Airlines Corporation and JAL International moves down to senior managing director.

The four incidents that have drawn reprimands from the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport:

1. Use of inappropriate parts in a 747 freighter landing gear
2. Violation of ATC instructions at Incheon Airport, Korea (JL 954 March 11)
3. Operating a flight with disarmed emergency slides (JAL 1021 March 16)
4. Violation of ATC instructions at Shin Chitose Airport, Japan (JAL 1036 January 16)

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