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(1) Air transport and development of airports
A characteristic of the domestic air route network in Japan is the fact that
the most of the demand is centered around the two international airports of
Tokyo and Osaka, and the majority of international air routes is also similarly
concentrated on these two airports. Consequently there is a growing demand that
the handling capacities of these airports be increased.
(2) Establishment of the Kansai International Airport Co., Ltd.
With the present Osaka Airport being unable to meet the demand for increased
capacity, the necessity of an international airport which could be operated
24 hours a day was being considered as the only possible solution, when in October
1984, the Kansai International Airport Co., Ltd. was established as the main
instrument for the construction of a new airport.
The introduction of private capital in a commercial format for the inception
of an international airport was a pioneering concept and the first of its kind
in the world, so that in order to ensure the public nature of such utility and
also provide the smooth utilization of private capital and its attendant energetic
drive, necessary measures were taken to help ensure the opening of this new
enterprise by the end of 1992.
(3) New Tokyo International Airport
The New Tokyo International Airport since its opening has grown steadily
in the number of passengers handled, together with the volume of air freight.
(Fig. 13)
However, as a major international airport, there is no other in the world
which uses our only alternative a single runway. In view of the growing demand
for increased handling capacity, it is necessary to endeavor to achieve an early
completion of the originally planned facilities.
(4) Offshore Development of Tokyo International Airport
The Ministry of Transport adopted a drastic measure to solve the problem
of aircraft noise pollution and to cope with the demand for increased capacity.
A basic program for the Tokyo International Airport was passed in February 1983,
and work was commenced in January 1984.
The program calls for the takeoff and landing handling capacity of the subject
airport to be increased from the current yearly volume of about 170,000 flights
to about 240,000, and with the increased use of larger sized aircraft, the transport
capacity will be extraordinarily increased.
(5) Improvement of local airports
With the exception of the main airports of Haneda, Narita and Osaka, there
are 74 other local airports of which there are 30 on isolated islands and 3
for only small aircraft, leaving 41 airports of which only 28 can handle jet
aircrafts.
In 1983 the airports at Tokushima, Kochi and Toyama have been converted to
the use for jet aircrafts, after which the passenger traffic increased phenomenally.
Keeping a close watch on the changes in demand for air transport in the future,
a long term program is necessary for the improvement of airports.
The freight volume handled at ports and harbours has levelled off as a
whole being twice affected by the oil crisis. Nevertheless, the export of automobiles,
cement, etc. and the import of coal, LNG, LPG, crops, etc., together with the
volume handled of containerized freight both for overseas and domestic trade
demonstrate steady growths. Furthermore, the conversion of ships into special
cargo ships and large-sized ships is still going on. In response to this conversion,
the demand for larger wharfs, more efficient loading and unloading, and increasing
the efficiency of existing wharfs is on the rise.
For such reasons, port and harbour development is being pushed in accordance
with the 6th five-year plan started in 1981.
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