On Wednesday, the Fukuoka High Court Naha branch ordered Okinawa to approve the central government’s construction plan for a key US base.
The Marine Corps Air Station Futenma base, which is located in the densely populated city of Ginowan, is to be moved to the Henoko district in Nago—an offshore location. However, the seabed at this site is too soft for reconstructing the base.
The central government then applied for permission from Okinawa to reinforce the land. Okinawa rejected the request and suspended the landfill work. The plan could potentially damage the environment, and is estimated to cost 930 billion yen ($6.5 billion), and will take 12 years to finish.
Opposition and protests from residents have also slowed the process.
Wednesday’s decision made by the presiding judge at the Naha Branch, Miura Takashi, will move forward a construction plan that has been suspended amid legal proceedings for years.
The branch told Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki to improve the plan within three weekdays after receiving a copy of the ruling. If Tamaki fails to do so, then Tetsuo Saito, the land minister, will approve the plans by proxy.
Saito filed this latest lawsuit in October after Tamaki failed to clarify whether or not he would accept the order to move ahead with the plans. In response to the ruling, Tamaki has said that the the decision undermines the will of the island's residents.
The governor can still appeal the decision, but the local government will be unable to stop the constriction unless the top court overturns the decision completely.
During the trial, the central government argued that the construction project will protect the country, and Okinawa’s rejection will undermine public interests.
Okinawa, the site of a major WWII battle, is home to more than half of the 50,000 American troops based in Japan under the bilateral security pact. Tamaki has called for a reduction of US military presence in Okinawa, and has also demanded the immediate closure of the Futenma base as well as the complete ejection of the new base plans.