narita airport has always been a very politically sensitive airport. it was laid dormant for almost 10 years after it was constructed in the early 70s due to intense protest from surrounding villagers.
until a few years ago, you even had a small plot of land owned by a farmer who refuse to sell to the government smack in the apron area between terminal 1 & 2.
after more than 20 years of operations, the security into narita airport perimeter is still extremely tight (all vehicles are subject to searches).
with the opening of the new parallel runway (finally!!) the protest has intensify again.
with such dire history, it's no wonder peculiar procedures exist at narita.
SR