Current:Home > FinanceJapanese farmer has fought for decades to stay on his ancestral land in the middle of Narita airport-LoTradeCoin
Japanese farmer has fought for decades to stay on his ancestral land in the middle of Narita airport
View Date:2024-12-24 00:09:07
Narita airport, one of Tokyo's main international gateways, projects an image of efficiency and service characteristic of Japan's economic prominence. But beneath the surface, there is a long and troubled history of farmland being seized and lives being lost over the airport's construction and continued presence.
Takao Shito, 73, personifies the struggle over the area. Across generations, his family has cultivated farmland that planes now fly over, signifying both resilience and protest.
His family has leased the land for generations. And since it sits smack in the middle of the airport, one of Narita's two runways had to be built around it.
Even though the farm is now subjected to engine noise and air choked with jet fuel exhaust, Shito hasn't been swayed into moving.
"It's my life," he said of the land. "I have no intention of ever leaving."
Originating in the 1960s as a symbol of Japan's progress, Narita airport was placed in the rural expanse of Tenjinmine, about 40 miles from overcrowded Tokyo. Development, however, was met by opposition from local farmers who resented being pushed off their land. Their cause attracted thousands of radical leftists, and decades of violent and occasionally deadly protests ensued.
Today, the anti-Narita airport protest is the longest-running social movement in Japanese history, according to author William Andrews.
The struggle is "not just about an airport," Andrews said.
"This case of Mr. Shito has come to encapsulate the final gasps of the movement ... the very last concrete struggle," he said.
The Shito family's ties to the land span nearly a century, but the issue of ownership is complicated. He said his family would have purchased the property after World War II, if not for circumstances preventing them due to military service. Most of the property Shito lives and farms on has been declared government property, although he and his supporters purchased a small portion of the land the airport is seeking.
At least a dozen policemen and protesters have died over the conflict. In February, riot police again clashed with Shito and his band of supporters, and installed high fences that divide Shito's house and shed from his fields.
Shito's commitment to his cause has created a division in his community, straining relationships. His stance remains unchanged, even though the airport is here to stay.
"The best outcome would be for the airport to shut down," he said. "But what's important is to keep farming my ancestral land."
veryGood! (9412)
Related
- My Chemical Romance returns with ‘The Black Parade’ tour
- Florida's Jamari Lyons ejected after spitting at Florida State's Keiondre Jones
- This week on Sunday Morning (November 26)
- The Bachelor's Ben Flajnik Is Married
- Maine elections chief who drew Trump’s ire narrates House tabulations in livestream
- These Secrets About the Twilight Franchise Will Be Your Life Now
- Schools in Portland, Oregon, reach tentative deal with teachers union after nearly month-long strike
- Four-star QB recruit Antwann Hill Jr. latest to decommit from Deion Sanders, Colorado
- NFL Week 11 picks straight up and against spread: Will Bills hand Chiefs first loss of season?
- Kaley Cuoco Celebrates Baby Girl Matilda's First Thanksgiving
Ranking
- Chrysler recalls over 200k Jeep, Dodge vehicles over antilock-brake system: See affected models
- 2 teens shot, suspect arrested at downtown Cleveland plaza after annual tree-lighting ceremony
- Ex-Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao asks judge to let him leave U.S. before sentencing for money laundering
- How WWE's Gunther sees Roman Reigns' title defenses: 'Should be a very special occasion'
- Study finds Wisconsin voters approved a record number of school referenda
- Irish writer Paul Lynch wins Booker Prize with dystopian novel ‘Prophet Song’
- Pope Francis says he has lung inflammation but will go to Dubai this week for climate conference
- Baker Mayfield injury: Buccaneers QB exits matchup vs. Colts briefly with leg issue
Recommendation
-
Hurricane-stricken Tampa Bay Rays to play 2025 season at Yankees’ spring training field in Tampa
-
Congolese Nobel laureate kicks off presidential campaign with a promise to end violence, corruption
-
Michigan-Ohio State: Wolverines outlast Buckeyes for third win in a row against rivals
-
Max Verstappen caps of historic season with win at Abu Dhabi F1 finale
-
Footage shows Oklahoma officer throwing 70-year-old to the ground after traffic ticket
-
Derek Chauvin, convicted in George Floyd’s murder, stabbed in prison
-
Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders out for season finale vs. Utah, freshman Ryan Staub starts
-
Most powerful cosmic ray in decades has scientists asking, 'What the heck is going on?'