Japan’s government has filed a lawsuit
against Okinawa Governor Takeshi Onaga over the relocation of a US air
base that has sparked local protests, Japanese media report.
sputniknews.com reports:
According to The Japan Times, Okinawa residents fear aviation accidents and want the base out of the prefecture.
In late October, the Japanese government resumed construction of a new base for the US Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, having negated a regional government veto on its relocation from Okinawa's highly-populated district in the city of Ginowan to the Henoko coastal area of Nago city.
The Okinawa prefecture primarily seeks to prevent landfill work in the Henoko coastal area, intended for use as an airstrip.
The Friday lawsuit accuses Okinawa governor of failing to reverse his revocation of a permission for the transfer of the US Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, issued by his predecessor.
The US Marine Corps Air Station Futenma is in a highly-populated district in the city of Ginowan. It houses 25,800 US servicemen along with 19,000 family members and civilians, according to the prefecture’s figures.
