JAL representative Hideo Seto urged people to focus on the positive.
"We would like you to understand the fact that we have protected 36,000 jobs rather than how many people we laid off," Seto said. "We used the public money and eliminated many aircraft. Therefore we need to cut staff who works there. We have no other way than firing the employees."

The airline's chairman, Kazuo Inamori, said Wednesday JAL had a "bright outlook."

"My biggest concern was how the morale of workers was affected by the major restructuring, which was really a tragedy," said Inamori. "Fortunately, they are all in good spirits and working hard for the company's reconstruction."