The Okinawa prefectural government is considering withdrawing its approval for reclamation work in the Henoko coastal area of Nago as early as this summer, to counter the central government's plan to relocate functions of the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station from Ginowan to Henoko, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned.
Senior officials of the prefectural government have reported details about discussions of the issue to prefectural assembly members who belong to the faction of Gov. Takeshi Onaga, according to sources.
The central government intends to start new bank protection work this week for the reclamation. The prefectural government aims to suspend the reclamation work by withdrawing the approval, the sources said.
Reclamation in the Henoko coastal area was approved in December 2013 by then Gov. Hirokazu Nakaima. But his successor Onaga revoked the approval in October 2015.
The central government filed an administrative lawsuit against the revocation, asserting it was illegal. In its December 2016 ruling, the Supreme Court concluded that Onaga's handling of the issue was illegal and the central government consequently resumed work to transfer the air base.
In general, "revocation" means the approval would be nullified, dating back to the time of the approval, if there is a fault in the approval procedure. In the case of the "withdrawal" the prefectural government is considering, the approval would lose its effectiveness in the future if there is a grave legal violation after the approval.
The prefectural government intends to claim that there are deficiencies in the measures to protect the environment, and make this the basis for withdrawing the approval, the sources said.
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