Court Orders Okinawa Governor to Approve U.S. Base Relocation Work

The decision advances suspended construction amid rising strategic importance of Okinawa for Japan-U.S. military alliance.

Japanese court orders Okinawa governor to approve a modified plan for landfill work at the planned relocation site of a key U.S. military base.
The decision will move forward the suspended construction at a time Okinawa’s strategic importance is seen increasingly important for the Japan-U.S. military alliance in the face of growing tensions with China.
The ruling allows the Land and Transport Ministry to order the modification work designed to reinforce extremely soft ground at the designated relocation site for U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, overriding Gov. Denny Tamaki’s disapproval.
Tamaki can still appeal to the Supreme Court, but the local government at this point has no power to stop the work unless the top court overturns the decision.
Tamaki has called for a significant reduction of the U.S. military on the island, which is home to more than half of 50,000 American troops based in Japan under the bilateral security pact.