TOKYO – It will soon be possible to party in the air over Tokyo Bay in chartered jetliners, a novelty launched just after 141 countries pledged environmental responsibility under the Kyoto Protocol reached in Japan. For a group tab of 7.5 million yen (71,500 dollars), up to 290 people can enjoy an hour over Tokyo Bay in a Boeing 767 or Airbus A300 followed by a banquet at the elite Hotel Nikko Tokyo.
Japan Airlines said it would offer the pleasure flights for events such as product launches or school reunions and that it could provide company or school songs in the cabin and special logos on the headrest covers.
The novelty flights, billed as the first of their kind in Japan, were announced Thursday, a day after the Kyoto Protocol went into effect in a bid to stop emissions that are causing global warming.
The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has warned that aviation posed a growing risk to the global atmosphere.

In a 1999 study, the Panel said air travel was projected to grow by about five percent annually until 2015 and burn three percent more fuel each year in that timeframe unless new technologies and lifestyles were adopted.
JAL spokesman Geoffrey Tudor said the in-air parties, which could take place once a month, would be "very modest" in impact and said JAL was one of the most environmentally responsible airlines.
"We think it's not going to add any great burden to the environment by creating an occasional charter flight for one hour over Tokyo Bay," Tudor said.
He said JAL was introducing more fuel-efficient planes and was the first airline to equip a long-haul plane to test for greenhouse gas for a decade from 1993.
But Yuri Onodera, director of the climate change program of Friends of the Earth Japan, said potential JAL air revellers should think about the environment while enjoying themselves.
"Having fun in life is a good thing," he said. "They should also consider that their behavior has an impact on the global environment."
"Also, the airline companies should take into account the cost they are causing to the global environment. We have only one planet to protect," he said.