TOKYO — After Okinawa Gov. Takeshi Onaga moved to halt to preparations by the central government to relocate the U.S. Marine Corps’ Futenma Air Station, the Defense Ministry on Tuesday acted to have the order nullified.
The governor announced Monday he had submitted written instructions to the Defense Ministry’s Okinawa Defense Bureau to halt work to relocate a U.S. base from Ginowan to Nago’s Henoko district, both in Okinawa Prefecture.
Onaga added he is considering canceling permission to destroy reef rocks if the central government refuses to suspend the work.
The Defense Ministry submitted written requests to Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi that Onaga’s orders be nullified and investigated. The agriculture minister holds jurisdiction over the related laws.
The Defense Ministry sought Hayashi’s judgment on whether Onaga’s instruction to halt work is legal, and if it is deemed otherwise, the instruction will be nullified.
In accordance with the fisheries resources protection law, an approval to destroy reefs is issued by the Okinawa governor.
The issuance of the approval – by its nature under the jurisdiction of the central government – is delegated to the Okinawa prefectural government. The agriculture minister has the right to rectify the governors’ permission and cancellation.
Following Onaga’s announcement on Monday, the central government concluded it is imperative to adopt an alternative at an early stage to avoid any adverse effects on the relocation plan.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said at a press conference Tuesday morning that the central government will turn down the Okinawa governor’s demand for work in the Henoko district to be suspended by March 30.
Suga reiterated the central government’s position on continuing the work, saying, “We’ll continue the drilling research without making a fuss [in the Henoko district]. We can’t find any reasons to discontinue the work.”
Also Tuesday morning, officials of the Okinawa Defense Bureau visited the Okinawa prefectural government office and explained the central government’s position on the issue to senior officials of the prefectural government.
In Washington, Marie Harf, deputy spokesperson at the U.S. State Department, stated at a press conference Monday that the U.S. maintains the understanding that construction of a facility to take over the functions of U.S. Marine Corps’ Futenma Air Station will continue as planned, despite Onaga’s intention to stop the work.
Harf also emphasized that the construction work to relocate the air station is a significant outcome from efforts over many years by the Japanese and U.S. governments. She added that the work is a decisively important step toward realignment of U.S. forces stationed in Okinawa Prefecture.
