Report: Toyota's Green Car Push May Destroy 17th Century Japanese Rice Field

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.


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Joe_Limon - 6/23/2009 11:24:41 AM

+4 Boost

lol Toyota is an international company, they could move their testing anywhere.

inspirion7 - 6/23/2009 11:56:08 AM

+2 Boost

I was reading on Autoblog's site and in defense of Toyota, a response went like this...


"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."

Temple

Joe_Limon - 6/23/2009 8:10:03 PM

0 Boost

because that's what happens to extreme toyota/lexus fan boys on this site. You aren't the first. Nor will you be the last.

Joe_Limon - 6/24/2009 10:11:33 AM

+4 Boost

the day China's gdp=the usa is the day china loses it's ability to make cheap ass shit and therefore it's competitive advantage.

truckman - 6/24/2009 5:33:27 AM

-2 Boost

This is terrible, farmland is disappearing everywhere, what is wrong with using the real world for the testing? That is what they need.