Star Flyer Inc. said Friday it will cancel one daily round-trip flight between Kitakyushu in Fukuoka Prefecture and Tokyo's Haneda Airport from next Tuesday to March 31 as two foreign pilots have refused to come back to work in Japan following last week's devastating earthquake.

The Russian and American pilots, on vacation since before the quake, have told Star Flyer they would not return to Japan, apparently in response to their governments' advisory against trips to Japan after the quake destroyed parts of northeastern Japan and caused a nuclear plant accident in Fukushima Prefecture, the airline said.

A Star Flyer official said more flights could be canceled as five other foreign pilots are now on vacation.

Star Flyer, which has been based in Kitakyushu since its founding in 2002, now operates Kitakyushu-Haneda flights and those between Haneda and Osaka.

==Kyodo

Seattle Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki has donated 100 million yen to the Japanese Red Cross Society for earthquake relief efforts in the country, his management company BowPlanning told Kyodo News on Friday.

While Suzuki declined to comment on his act, BowPlanning President Yoshiki Okada explained the major leaguer made the decision after gathering information on the situation in Japan and careful consideration.

Last month, Suzuki contributed 10 million yen for Miyazaki Prefecture, which was struck by repeated eruptions of volcano Shinmoe Peak.

He donated 10 million yen to Kobe, the home of his former Japanese club the Orix BlueWave for disaster relief following the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake.

In 2000, he sent 1,500 clothes items worth about 13 million yen to Aichi Prefecture, which was hit by disruptive downpours.

==Kyodo