Shingo Shibata, the chairman of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit against Japan's National Institute of Health (NIH), explains the reasons for local and national protests against the NIH's relocation to a densely populated residential area. The NIH, Japan's largest biotechnology and pathogen laboratory, is criticized for its proximity to houses, welfare facilities, a hospital, and a university. Residents have strongly opposed the move since 1987, but the NIH began construction in 1988 with riot police support. Despite ongoing legal challenges, the NIH has moved to the new site and resumed experiments. Shibata argues that such a densely populated area is unsuitable for a laboratory due to safety concerns, particularly regarding genetically modified pathogens and radioisotopes. He calls for the NIH to halt experiments and move to an unpopulated site, emphasizing the potential global impact of any contamination.Shingo Shibata, the chairman of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit against Japan's National Institute of Health (NIH), explains the reasons for local and national protests against the NIH's relocation to a densely populated residential area. The NIH, Japan's largest biotechnology and pathogen laboratory, is criticized for its proximity to houses, welfare facilities, a hospital, and a university. Residents have strongly opposed the move since 1987, but the NIH began construction in 1988 with riot police support. Despite ongoing legal challenges, the NIH has moved to the new site and resumed experiments. Shibata argues that such a densely populated area is unsuitable for a laboratory due to safety concerns, particularly regarding genetically modified pathogens and radioisotopes. He calls for the NIH to halt experiments and move to an unpopulated site, emphasizing the potential global impact of any contamination.