Overview
- NAA told the transport minister it is considering using Japan’s Land Expropriation Act to secure parcels for a new runway and an extension, saying the planned start of service is now uncertain.
- Land acquisition stands at about 89.7% of the target area, with the new C-runway zone at 88.7% and the B-runway zone at 99.5%, and NAA aims to open the B-runway work ahead of the C-runway.
- Minister Yasuyuki Kaneko said he understands the possible need for expropriation but directed the operator to keep negotiating and to explain the plan carefully to local residents.
- People familiar with the talks say a formal decision to begin expropriation could come as early as June, a step that would require MLIT project certification and a prefectural commission ruling before any forced purchases occur.
- The expansion is designed to raise yearly flight slots from roughly 340,000 to 500,000 to meet inbound demand, yet any return to forced takings revives memories of contentious 1970s seizures, even as NAA notes 400-plus briefings with landowners.