Funeral Hall Protest Turns Violent

[Mulboyne]

Yomiuri: 1 arrested in funeral hall protest
Local residents opposing the construction of a funeral hall in Takaoka, Toyama Prefecture, temporarily blockaded its gate with cars Wednesday, when the hall opened for business. Takaoka Police Station arrested one resident for allegedly breaking three windows at the building's entrance, police said. The Takaoka municipal government first planned to build a funeral hall in 1972, but moved the project to the current location in 1998. The decision prompted local residents to split into two groups -- those for the construction and others against it. The local residents association also was divided over the issue. Despite the controversy, the city began constructing the hall in August 2007. The facility, which accommodates crematoriums and funeral rooms, was completed last month. At about 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, about 30 local residents started arguing with city officials, who tried to stop the group from entering the hall compound. After the windows were broken after 8 a.m., the residents barged into the compound and used cars to block the road at the building's gate. Though they lifted the blockade about 10:30 a.m., they continued sitting on the road in protest. People visiting the hall for cremation purposes accessed the facility from a separate entrance.

Reports that protesters shouted "Over my dead body!" remain unconfirmed.

[sublight]

Any word on what the 'anti' faction's actual problem was with the facility?

[Samurai_Jerk]

Any word on what the 'anti' faction's actual problem was with the facility?

Whenever they hang their laundry out to dry it ends up smelling like yakiniku.

[Mulboyne]

Any word on what the 'anti' faction's actual problem was with the facility?

I read an interview with the former mayor who spent years trying to mediate the issue. He hinted that the most intransigent were just outright opposed to living near a crematorium because it was "unclean". Others thought the project was a waste of money but all the opponents were exclusively from the local district with no-one else in Takaoka apparently agreeing. The pro-faction in the neighbourhood thought they could get the City to spend more on local facilities so there may also have been some who didn't think they were being offered enough. The major did mention that, at various times, the city explained itself very poorly but also says that many of his personal attempts to intervene were rejected. He says he was prepared to prostrate himself for hours if it would have helped - that doesn't mean a great deal in the west but it would have been a significant gesture in rural Japan - but was actually hounded from one meeting where he was scheduled to meet the plan's opponents.