Okinawa to Withdraw Landfill Approval for U.S. Base Relocation

July 27, 2018

Naha, Okinawa Pref.- Okinawa Governor Takeshi Onaga said Friday he will begin procedures to withdraw his predecessor's approval of landfill work for a planned U.S. base relocation in the southernmost Japan prefecture.

The governor aims to complete the procedures before Aug. 17, when the central government plans to start earth-filling work in the Henoko coastal district of the Okinawa city of Nago as part of the relocation plan.

As the withdrawal forces the central government to stop the landfill work, it is expected to file a lawsuit to annul the governor's move and enter a new legal battle with Okinawa. Tokyo may also seek damages from Onaga for alleged abuse of power.

Under a Japan-U.S. agreement, the Henoko district is set to host a new facility to be built for the relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma air station from a densely populated area of the Okinawa city of Ginowan.

Meeting the press at the Okinawa government's office in Naha, Onaga said he had decided on the withdrawal because part of the sea area to be reclaimed was found to include weak ground, posing a risk of seawall collapse.

"Maintaining the effectiveness of the landfill approval does not serve the public interest," Onaga said.

In October 2015, Onaga canceled the approval, made by his predecessor, Hirokazu Nakaima, claiming that there were flaws in the approval process.

But the Supreme Court ruled his move illegal in December 2016.

The upcoming withdrawal is aimed at invalidating the approval based on factors that surfaced later.

The prefectural government will shortly notify the Defense Ministry's Okinawa Defense Bureau of plans to conduct a hearing as part of the procedures to withdraw the approval, based on the administrative procedure law.

In a press conference in Tokyo, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said, "There is no change in our thinking that we'll move forward with the construction work for the relocation while giving as much as we can consideration to the natural environment and local residents' living conditions."

"We'll respond appropriately according to the law if we receive some kind of notice from Okinawa," the top government spokesman said, showing Tokyo's readiness to respond to an Okinawa request for a hearing. Jiji Press