An end to a 39-year battle

The longest and deadliest conflict in the country’s post World War II history finally came to an end in late July. Northern Ireland? No, I’m talking about the conflict that surrounded Narita International Airport, Japan’s main gateway to the world.

This really was Japan’s longest and deadliest post-war conflict. It lasted 39 years and claimed the lives of 13 people. Thousands were arrested. It may not have been as deadly as the Irish troubles, but it was more costly than Tokyo’s recent forays into international peacekeeping in Cambodia and Iraq.

At its heart, the struggle was a kind of modern-day peasants’ revolt, pitting farmers and their allies against the government of Japan. The fundamental issue was universal: in a conflict of individual property rights versus the greater public good, which should prevail? In Japan private property won hands down.

Asia Times