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Looking beyond the burning aircraft at Haneda – By GEORGE BRAINE Yesterday, as I watched, live on TV, the aircraft burning on Haneda airport’s tarmac, the thought that drove me crazy was “Where are the passengers? Are they still inside the aircraft?” I live in Sapporo, the capital of Japan’s northernmost island, and each time I leave Japan, I first take the 90-minute flight from Sapporo to Haneda or Narita, one of the airports in Tokyo. In fact, I had just returned home on December 26 after a trip to Sri Lanka. The burning aircraft had arrived from Sapporo, my hometown. Later, we were told that all 367 passengers and 14 crew members had evacuated. Then, videos from inside the aircraft taken by passengers began to emerge. The aircraft was filled with smoke and some passengers were almost lying on the floor. A flight attendant, with a flashlight, was urging ...