Fresh court battle starts over US base project in Okinawa

October 11, 2017

NAHA, OKINAWA PREF.- Okinawa Governor Takeshi Onaga blamed the Japanese government for having "distorted" the administration of law, during the first court hearing on Tuesday in a fresh lawsuit over US military base construction in the Henoko coastal area of Nago, Okinawa Prefecture.

The prefecture side filed the lawsuit with Naha District Court in July, demanding a court injunction against the central government's land reclamation work in Henoko, which the prefecture claims is being conducted without permission from the prefecture.

"For the Henoko project, the government has distorted the administration of law," Onaga argued at the court. "This is far from the way that a country ruled by law follows."

The central government insists that the prefectural permission is no longer necessary as local fishermen there have abandoned their fishing rights.

In the court hearing, the central government side claimed that the prefecture cannot use a lawsuit to protect its authorities.

The land reclamation work is part of the central government's project to build a replacement facility in Henoko to relocate the US Marine Corps' Futenma air station in the Okinawa city of Ginowan. The prefecture strongly opposes the project. Jiji Press