An 82-year-old man in Hokkaido was arrested Monday on suspicion of flying an ultralight plane without permission, police said.
The police also raided the town office of Kami-Shihoro, Hokkaido, on suspicion that the local authorities allowed Tatsuo Yonekura to use a runway under the control of the municipal government despite knowing he was flying illegally.The municipal government is suspected of violating the aviation law, the police said.
Yonekura allegedly took off from the runway on Aug. 18 in an unlicensed ultralight plane, according to the investigation. The plane has not undergone an inspection by the authorities.
He has obtained a license for flying an ultralight plane but has not received the medical checkups required to receive permission to fly for five years.