The transport ministry is in a dilemma over whether to extend Narita International Airport's "interim" second runway northward or pursue its original southward plan.
Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Kazuo Kitagawa was in a bind Friday when Narita International Airport Corp. President Masayuki Kurono informed him that negotiations with owners of land in the Toho district just south of the runway had stalled.
Kitagawa, frustrated by the impasse, also was not able to give the go-ahead to extend the runway northward. Ministry officials said they will decide the matter soon after thorough consideration.