A pilot and co-pilot were aboard the plane Monday but their safety was not immediately known.
Television footage show the plane appearing to bounce and bursting into flames as it skidded to a halt at Narita airport. Firetrucks have been dispatched, and the airport has been closed.
Japan´s Kyodo News is reporting that the plane was an MD-11 and was on a regular flight from Guangzhou, China.
Safety in the air begins on the ground