Furthermore, there were noise concerns as HND is very close to Tokyo. The government decided to build a new airport much further away from the city where noise wouldn't be as much of an issue and where they could potentially expand. Hence, NRT was built.

Narita International Airport (NRT) is located approximately 60 kilometers (37 miles) east of central Tokyo primarily due to historical land availability and political conflict during its planning in the 1960s. At the time, Haneda Airport was reaching its maximum capacity, and the Japanese government needed a vast area of land that wouldn't interfere with the city's dense residential zones or cause excessive noise pollution. The site in Chiba Prefecture was chosen because much of the land was already state-owned or used for imperial farming, though the construction still faced decades of intense protests from local farmers and activists. In 2026, while Narita remains significantly further than the more central Haneda, it serves as the primary long-haul gateway for Japan. The distance is mitigated by high-speed rail links like the Narita Express (N'EX) and the Keisei Skyliner, which can whisk travelers to major hubs like Tokyo Station or Ueno in roughly 40 to 60 minutes.