Tokyo, March 13, 2007 - Japanese passenger plane carrying 60 people made a safe emergency landing without its nose gear after circling over an airport for nearly two hours, the Associated Press has reported.

The All Nippon Airways commercial airliner left Osaka airport this morning, bound for Kochi airport,  with 56 passengers and four crew aboard, ANA spokesman Kunio Shibata said.

The Bombardier DHC-8 turboprop could not extend wheels for landing, due before 9am (11am GMT), he said.

Public broadcaster NHK showed footage of the airplane circling the airport with only its rear wheels extended.

The plane made repeated approaches to the runway and pulled up before eventually landing on its rear wheels and gently touching its nose down on the runway.