NAHA -- China Airlines has painted over its name and logo on the wreckage of a passenger jet that exploded in flames at Naha Airport in Okinawa moments after passengers slid down emergency chutes to escape.

The airline painted over the name "China Airlines" on the left-hand side of the aircraft and the company's logo on the plane's tail fin.

After the accident, photographs and video footage of the jet continued to appear in news reports, and the company apparently painted over the name and logo to limit further damage to its image.

Before painting over the name and logo, the airline sought permission from the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry's Aircraft and Railway Accidents Investigation Commission. Officials granted the request, judging that it would not hinder the investigation into the accident, and the airline painted over the markings following inspections carried out on Tuesday.

When questioned over the move, an official from the Taiwan-based airline said, "We followed international procedures. We do not have detailed information." (Mainichi)

NAHA -- A woman died and two other people fell into critical condition in a blaze that burned down a sex shop here Sunday night, police said.

At about 7:35 p.m. on Sunday, a fire broke out at a sex shop on the third floor of a building in the Tsuji district of Naha, and burned down the entire floor, local police said.

Three men and six women who were in the shop at the time were rushed to a hospital. Of them, a woman in her 20s, who is believed to be an employee, was pronounced dead, while another man and woman, thought to be its manager and an employee, remain unconscious.

The shop is situated in a busy entertainment district about one kilometer northwest of the Okinawa Prefectural Government headquarters.