Chiba Prefecture showed understanding Thursday toward the Transport Ministry's tentative plan to build a shorter runway at Narita airport, an alternative to the second runway stalled by opposition from landowners.
Chiba Gov. Takeshi Numata conveyed the message to Transport Minister Jiro Kawasaki during talks Thursday at the ministry, according to a ministry official who briefed reporters.
The ministry recently abandoned its original target of completing a 2,500-meter-long second runway at Narita by the end of fiscal 2000 due to an impasse with landowners over expansion of the airport.