As crazy as this video already is, it only shows one part of a much larger battle.
The Sanrizuka Crossroads engagement shown in the video is organized and led by the legendary Chūkaku-ha, the Revolutionary Communist League National Committee (革命的共産主義者同盟全国委員会). You can identify their student-fighters by their iconic white safety helmets with the marking 中核 (Central Core), their motorcycle goggles, white face masks, and Molotov cocktails.
As the Chūkaku-ha was fighting riot police back at the crossroads, the actual Narita Airport was attacked by another army! The Kakurōkyō, the Revolutionary Labourers Association (革命的労働者協会). While the Chūkaku-ha student shock troops drew police attention to Sanrizuka, the Kakurōkyō adopted more guerrilla-like tactics to sneak into the heavily defended airport.
At 5:00 pm, 40 min after the crossroads battle began, they burned the trains in Narita station, then lit up huge fires around the airport to obstruct the landing and takeoff of aircraft. 5:30 pm. Kakurōkyō members disguised as taxi drivers and travellers started a fire in the airport terminal. Airport authorities of course called the fire department.
This is the craziest part of the story:
The Kakurōkyō had prepared a fake firetruck and fire command car! And the fake firetruck had a fucking FLAMETHROWER disguised as the water hose!
A band of forlorn hope, dressed in firefighter uniforms, sneaked into the airport along with real firefighters.They shattered the windows on the control towers with pachinko ball shotguns, then planned on setting the entire control tower on fire, destroying the airport. However, their homemade flamethrower, as bad ass as it was, broke down at the last minute. The Narita Airport, although temporarily put out of operation, was saved from the worst outcome.
Officially known as the 20 October Narita Local Conflict (10.20成田現地闘争), the leftists preferred to call it the Uprising of ‘85 (85年蜂起戦). This is the last major battle in the “Narita Problem” that has haunted Japan’s government since 1966.
Japan’s National Police Agency was utterly humiliated as their riot police was not only pushed back at Sanrizuka but almost lost the entire airport. The mighty Chūkaku-ha, however, was also hit hard with hundreds arrested. It would never regain its former strength.
241 protesters were arrested. 16 of its leaders later convicted.
Multiple injured
No one was killed
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