“We accept the use of the land expropriation system at Narita Airport as unavoidable.” The land acquisition rate for the new runway rose from 89.7% in April to 90.4% at the end of June.

Editor in Chief

1 week ago

On July 10, the NAA (Narita International Airport), the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Chiba Prefecture, and the three municipalities where the airport is located (Narita City, Shibayama Town, and Tako Town) held a meeting of the “Council for Promoting the Construction of New Runways at Narita Airport.”

At the outset, Naoki Fujii, President and CEO of NAA, discussed the progress made in securing land and revealed that the completion rate had increased from 89.7% as of the April announcement to 90.4% as of the end of June.

Explaining the background of this thorough, case-by-case approach, Mr. Fujii stated, “We have provided renewed explanations to all landowners, and in the case of some landowners, officials from the national government and Chiba Prefecture, as well as local government leaders, have accompanied us to engage in as much dialogue as possible toward securing the land.”

In addition, while continuing efforts to acquire land on a voluntary basis to enhance the functionality of Narita Airport, the authorities sought understanding regarding the parallel use of the land expropriation system.

As a result of these efforts, as of the end of June, of the 105 hectares of land yet to be secured, contracts are currently being finalized for 2 hectares, and negotiations are underway for 50 hectares, indicating that securing the remaining land is expected to proceed smoothly. However, there is no prospect of securing contracts for the remaining 53 hectares (4.8% of the total). Regarding the reasons for this, the NAA cites examples such as “a lack of understanding regarding the approach to relocation compensation,” “a lack of understanding regarding the further enhancement of Narita Airport’s functions,” and “stalled negotiations with landowners due to difficulties in inheritance division discussions.”

Following today’s meeting of the Council for Promoting the Construction of a New Runway at Narita Airport, the attendees took the stage for a press conference. Speaking on behalf of the group, Chiba Prefecture Governor Toshihito Kumagai praised NAA’s efforts and explained that the council had reached a consensus, stating, “While we will continue our efforts to acquire land voluntarily, we recognize that it is unavoidable to utilize the land expropriation system in parallel.”