Land minster suspends Okinawa's retraction of landfill permission for US base relocation
(Mainichi Japan)
TOKYO -- Land minister Keiichi Ishii said Oct. 30 he has temporarily approved a Defense Ministry request to suspend the Okinawa Prefectural Government's retraction of its permission to conduct landfill work needed to relocate a U.S. military base inside the southernmost prefecture.
Ishii revealed the decision at a press conference after a ministerial meeting, saying that he did so "to avert serious damage" arising from the retraction. His remark suggested that the central government did so out of consideration for the Japan-U.S. defense alliance.
The Defense Ministry now intends to resume land reclamation work to move the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma from the southern Okinawa city of Ginowan to the coastal Henoko district of the city of Nago in the central part of the prefecture.
Speaking in Tokyo, Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki slammed the land minister's decision as "lacking fairness, neutrality and substance," and expressed "strong indignation" against the central government's move. Tamaki added that he intends to seek arbitration by the Central and Local Government Dispute Management Council. He reiterated his opposition to the base relocation, saying he will dedicate his "heart and soul" to stop the project. Eventually this case could be taken to a court of law.
The prefectural government has opposed a 1996 plan agreed on between Tokyo and Washington to relocate the base, and retracted its permission for the landfill work off the waters of Henoko in late August. In response, the Defense Ministry filed a request on Oct. 17 with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism to suspend the retraction.
(Mainichi)
