REPORT: Toyota's push to build green cars may destroy 17th century Japanese rice paddies
Toyota has worked hard to cultivate its image as the "green" automaker. And with so many hybrids on the road, it's hard to argue. Some critics have cited the fact that mining for battery components is bad for the environment and the thousands of miles that massive, CO2-spewing ships travel to park those hybrids on our shores more than negate the positive effects. It's hard to argue with 50 mpg for $22,000, though, and, after all, politicians love them some hybrids.
Toyota's plans to build a new technical center and test track only 30 miles from its Aichi, Japan headquarters has those critics chirping anew, as the land pegged for construction is a 17th century rice patty. Toyota plans to use the facility to fine-tune its vehicles and stay ahead of Honda and GM in the hybrid game, but the cost of the price may be a bit too steep.
To clear the 1,631 acres to create the facility, Toyota will need to deforest 691 acres, fill the rice paddies and flatten mountains. Flatten mountains? Really? Good thing Toyota also owns Hino heavy trucks. Activists allege that the construction will destroy the habitat of the endangered gray-faced buzzard and oriental honey buzzard, too.
[Source: Bloomberg | Image: Three Lions/Hutton Gallery/Getty]
Get a WordPress.com Blog
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Craig 8:09AM (6/23/2009)
Why don't they just build it somewhere else? I know they probably want to keep it in their own company, but they could build something adjacent to their plants in Canada or the US where land is more plentiful.
Reply
Willem B 8:26AM (6/23/2009)
They want it there, b/c ALL Toyota Hybrids are built in Japan.
Temple 9:37AM (6/23/2009)
Because 17th century rice patties are everywhere in rural Japan. If you drive out of Nagoya to the rural areas where Toyota City is located its filled with rice patties like Indiana is filled with corn fields.
Don't let the 17th century age fool you either, anything can be ancient in Japan. You'll find restaurants and inns that are older then the United States. You have construction companies like Kongo-Gumi that are over 1400 years old (created in 578 A.D.). Everything is ancient in Japan.
Farmboy 11:25AM (6/23/2009)
@ Temple. Yeah, corn is almost everywhere in Indiana. haha, especially on my farm. :P But you are right, these rice patties are relatively new compared to a lot of other stuff there. Plus it wouldn't be too much of a problem considering how much they import already. They are at a geographic hardship with such little land as they need, especially with the population and their levels of demand.
Motor_Yakuza 11:26AM (6/23/2009)
Yep, build it the US, comrade Obama will be more then happy to give federal aid to a company who's building hybrids int the US.
the4thheat 1:08PM (6/23/2009)
lol, a 17th century paddy isn't even that old in Asia. It just sounds old to people in the United States since everything here was built from the 17th century and on so it sounds like the very oldest possible farm to an American.
But in a region where people have been farming the land for thousands of years a 3-4 century old paddy is pretty new lol.
Mr.Roadrage 1:44PM (6/23/2009)
There isn't really all that much that's old in Japan. They have hardly any buildings more than a century old and most of what is considered historical has actually been reconstructed. As for agriculture, it arrived in Japan only about 2300 years ago, about 6000 years after Europe. Still, it seems silly to refer to a rice paddy as "17th century", as though it has some historical value. The fact is, a lot of Japanese agricultural land is being taken out of production these days, regardless of when it was first cultivated.
Irv Miller 4:10PM (6/23/2009)
Hey Willhem B., Camry Hybrids are built in GEORGETOWN, KY. That's correct, right here in the good ole USof A!
UCJR 8:19AM (6/23/2009)
See? Japanese vehicles really ARE rice-burners!
Reply
oinky 4:51PM (6/24/2009)
That's the funniest thing I've read whole day!
Bobmarley 8:21AM (6/23/2009)
lol...."go green" is getting out of control...it will probably go down as the biggest marketing scam ever
Reply
CDN Crockett 8:41AM (6/23/2009)
Agreed!!!
Smegley 9:47AM (6/23/2009)
Hey, as long as the envirotards *FEEL* like they are making the world a better place the reality will remain unimportant.
Besides, everybody knows that there is too much food in Asia.
Temple 9:59AM (6/23/2009)
You know what's worse then "envirotards" - the anti-envirotards.
They're building a factory, not a granola farm. Not a perfect world where every environmental product has no impact to the world, no trees are cut down, no land altered. Even a new solar panel factory and wind turbine factory needs to clear land.
The fact is if they weren't making hybrids, they'd be making something else. And that something else would likely pollute more then a 50mpg car.
People need to drive cars, the point being that the Prius is an high-mpg alternative. It still burns gasoline, and you need factories to build it. We are all intelligent enough people that we can decipher the difference the necessary realities of the world and idealistic environmental pursuits.
Jake 8:26AM (6/23/2009)
What's not green about this?
They are knocking down pesky mountains and clearing vegetation to improve the habitat of one of natures finest animals.
Reply
Redeemed 9:47AM (6/23/2009)
You might think people are little more than slightly smarter (or dumber) decendents of monkeys. I think you and every other person are more valuable than that however.
AngeloD 8:29AM (6/23/2009)
If these farmers are anything like those who held up the airport construction at Narita for 2 decades Toyota would be well advised to look elsewhere, LOL.
Reply
Sea Urchin 8:34AM (6/23/2009)
Good reporting Chris, shame that you didn't discover the reporter in you when D3 were milking the American Taxpayer, and i am not even talking about the bailout.
Reply
JDM Life 8:43AM (6/23/2009)
Im sure almost every other maufacuter....not just auto maufactures, have gone through this same thing building their miles long corprarations...
I dont like the fact they may destroy all this and i rather they not, but this is nothing comapred to what other major corporations have done through out time.....but toyota does all hell breaks lose...
Reply
Jake 9:38AM (6/23/2009)
I think, oh point-missing Toyota fan, that the issue that makes this notable is the hypocracy/irony of Toyota's perhaps undeserved reputation as a "green company" juxtaposed with this plan which is very destructive to the environment and killing endangered buzzards.
Let me know if I can point out any more obvious facts to you.