However, according to the local Kyodo news agency, Tokyo could proceed with the move if the minister decides to invalidate Onaga's decision.
Construction plans for the Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Futenma relocation from Okinawa's highly-populated district in the city of Ginowan to the Henoko region of the coastal area of Nago, triggered confrontations over environmental concerns and opposition to the US military presence in Japan.
In April, Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and his US counterpart Ashton Carter reaffirmed the relocation plan, as part of a 2006 intergovernmental agreement to realign the US military presence in the country.
Over half of 47,000 US troops deployed in Japan are based in Okinawa, accounting for less than 1 percent of the Japanese land area.
