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Stop wasteful spending
Akahata editorial (excerpts)

The Kobe Airport constructed on the reclaimed land in the sea off Kobe City in Hyogo Prefecture has opened.

Only 25 kilometers from the Kansai International Airport in Osaka and Itami Airport in Hyogo, the new airport adds to the area's air traffic congestion.

At Kansai International Airport, the number of traveler's flying from/into Kansai International Airport as well as the number of flights using the first runway are far below the estimates made before its opening. Nevertheless, the Koizumi Cabinet has not given up on constructing the second runway, thus continuing wasteful spending, destroying the environment, and increasing noise pollution by constructing more airports.

Kobe Airport costed 314 billion yen, including the costs for a 2,500-meter runway and land reclamation project. If costs for the construction of terminal buildings and the extended airport railway services by Kobe City are added, the total amount will exceed one trillion yen.

Kobe City promised to construct the airport without asking Kobe citizens to pay more for the project. But the city's airport financial plan has completely failed. The city borrowed 200 billion yen for land reclamation, but there is no hope that the city will clear the debt. Revenue from landing fees will be just half of what the project initially expected. How irresponsible it is to open the airport without prospects that it will pay for itself!

Thirty billion yen in state subsidy will be used for this airport, contrary to the promise that no tax money will be used for running the airport. Kobe City is now considering the need to use municipal taxes to fund the plan.

Contrary to the city's estimate that 3.19 million traveler's will use the Kobe Airport this year and 4.34 million in ten years, it has the capacity to handle 2.6 million at present. The original estimate was thus unfounded.

Kobe City in 1995 was hit by a major earthquake, and citizens demanded that budget priority be given to the reconstruction of the infrastructure. But the city has continued to spend huge amounts of tax money for the unnecessary project.

Kobe citizens in 1998 collected 300,000 signatures calling for a referendum on this airport construction, but the proposal was rejected by the city assembly. Prime Minister Koizumi Jun'ichiro supported the wasteful plan.

Another airport is expected to open in Shizuoka, though it will take less than one hour by high speed train to either Haneda Airport in Tokyo or Chubu International Airport in Nagoya from Shizuoka.

The Koizumi Cabinet, which cannot stop the wasteful use of tax money, is not qualified to ask the public to pay more in taxes to reduce the deficit.
-Akahata, February 17, 2006