[3I1-GS-11] AI and Society:

[3I1-GS-11-01] An Analysis of People’s Responses to Online News Articles on the In-Flight Treatment of Pets in the Haneda Airport Aircraft Collision Incident

〇Kanako Takae¹, Masashi Takeshita², Dongwoo Lim³, Mikihito Tanaka¹ (1. Waseda University, 2. Hokkaido University, 3. Tsuda University)

Keywords:Speciesism, Animal Ethics, Pets, Topic Analysis

In the aircraft collision accident that occurred at Haneda Airport in January 2024, all passengers were safely rescued; however, pets in the cargo hold lost their lives. This incident sparked active online discussions about the handling of pets as baggage on aircraft. This study examines people’s perceptions of pets—often regarded as family members—and their owners by analyzing online comments posted on YAHOO! News articles about the incident. The study uses two analytical approaches. First, topic modeling and word co-occurrence network analysis identify themes in the comments, suggesting a focus on the inconvenience caused by owners’ actions during emergencies and the nuisance posed by dog and cat allergies in normal circumstances. Second, from the perspective of “inconvenience,” the study applies a moral foundation dictionary based on moral foundations theory in psychology, revealing how particular moral views are embedded in the comments. The findings indicate that discussions of inconvenience are closely tied to notions of rules, authority, and related concepts.