A panel of experts appointed by Japan's transport ministry has started debate on airport runway safety, following a deadly collision at Tokyo's Haneda Airport.

Transport minister Saito Tetsuo told Friday's first meeting of the panel that he wants the experts to study safety measures covering both hardware and software.

In the accident on January 2, a Japan Airlines passenger jet collided with a coast guard aircraft on a Haneda Airport runway shortly after landing. Both aircraft burst into flames.

All 379 people aboard the JAL plane managed to evacuate. Five people on the coast guard aircraft died, while the sixth crew member was seriously injured.

Nine panel members attended Friday's meeting held behind closed doors, including a former pilot and experts on human error.

The ministry says they were divided over a proposal to digitalize air traffic control to reduce human error.

Some experts said flight control is handled globally through visual monitoring and oral communication, and that relying on digital technology to handle it is probably still years away.

Others said technology should be treated as something that supplements human judgment.

Ministry officials say some experts called for an analysis of traffic control operations at busy airports like Haneda, where workloads are expected to increase further.

The panel is set to discuss how to strengthen alert systems for pilots and air traffic controllers, and whether it is necessary to review how they communicate. It is due to issue an interim report by around the summer.