Arab News Japan

TOKYO: Around 100 activists gathered near Narita Airport on the night of February 14 to try and prevent the eviction of a farmer who was refusing to give up his land so the airport could be expanded.

A judge said that SHITO Takao could not provide a certificate of ownership of the land and allowed the eviction.

Helmet-wearing activists, who have opposed the construction of the airport for over 50 years – often violently – made a human chain as speakers shouted opposition to the eviction of Shito, whose family has owned the field for a century.

The eviction order provided for the destruction of the watchtowers and the eviction of people on the land.

Three activists were arrested by riot police. According to a source on site, the activists belong to the left-wing student organization Zengakuren. Two of the activists occupied the guard tower erected to prevent a police attack.  

During the day, the demonstrators were able to savor the products of Shito’s field one last time by cooking vegetable soup and stir-fried noodles over a wood fire to warm up on the chilly winter day.

While a helicopter monitored the situation from above, the police on the ground waited until 8 p.m. before making a move.

At that time, riot police arrived, forced the protesters out, dismantled the tower and erected a perimeter fence.

During the late 1960s and ’70s, thousands of students opposed the construction of the airport by linking up with the farmers who refused to be driven from their land.