[floatr][/floatr]Teikoku Databank reports (Japanese) that Nippon Airship Corporation has filed for bankruptcy. The company operated the blimp which frequently floated over the capital. It was originally established as a subsidiary of major shipping line Nippon Yusen to use the "Zeppelin NT" as a promotional tool for the 2005 Aichi Expo. After the Expo, they set up a permanent base for the blimp in Saitama and received permission from the Transport Ministry in 2007 to start running passenger cruises. Nippon Yusen transferred ownership of the blimp but the new corporation was hit by the downturn. The article mentions that negotiations are underway with new potential sponsors.