Japan’s Narita Airport expansion revives row over forced land sales
Authorities are considering forcing the sale of land owned by holdout farmers, recalling disputes that sparked violence during the 1960s
Narita International Airport Corporation (NAA) has been able to secure 88.4 per cent of the land it requires to finish the extension of the existing 2,500-metre second runway at the airport and construct a new 3,500-metre third runway to meet soaring demand from business and leisure travellers.
Originally, NAA had planned to open the new runway in March 2029 and increase the number of landing and take-off slots from 340,000 a year at present to 500,000, but in a meeting with Transport Minister Yasushi Kaneko on April 2, NAA president Naoki Fujii confirmed that the deadline would have to be pushed back.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Fujii said the company would now look into legally forcing the sale of the plots of land it still needed to secure.
NAA said it had succeeded in winning over some local residents who agreed to sell, but added that it still needed to “gain the understanding” of others in the affected communities.
Among those standing firm is Takao Shito, whose family has farmed in the village of Tenjinmine for 100 years but now finds himself squarely in the path of the expansion.