Police say the man must have sneaked in just before take-off

Japanese officials are trying to identify a body found on a Delta Airlines flight which arrived in Tokyo from New York on Sunday night.

A mechanic found the body inside one of the landing gear compartments of the Boeing aircraft during maintenance.

The man, who was of dark complexion and dressed only in blue jeans and a long-sleeved shirt, was carrying no passport or personal belongings, police say.

He was possibly a stowaway and probably froze to death, they added.

The temperature in that part of the plane falls to about -50C during flight.

Police official Zenjiro Watanabe told the Associated Press that the man must have sneaked in just before departure.

He said that the man's body had no visible injuries except for signs of frostbite.

Mr Watanabe said police were investigating the incident both as an accident and a possible crime.

There has been no official comment so far from Delta officials.