Japan’s Supreme Court has ruled in favor of the central government’s plan to construct US Marine Corps runways on Okinawa, overturning the prefecture’s rejection of the proposal.
The decision has significant and far-reaching implications.
Supreme Court Greenlights US Marine Corps Runways in Henoko, Okinawa
This controversial decision was made despite the opposition of the island’s residents to the presence of American personnel.
The ruling, which affirms a previous high court judgment from March, upholds the validity of the central government’s plan and its instruction for Okinawa’s approval.
Therefore, construction work stopped in the Henoko area on the eastern coast of Okinawa’s main island will resume.
This construction is part of a more significant activity to relocate the Marine Corps Futenma air station from a densely populated island community.
However, the government encountered a critical challenge when it was discovered that about 70 percent of the site for reclamation is located on porous ground.
In response, the federal government submitted a revised proposal with additional land enhancement measures.
Unfortunately, the Okinawa prefectural government deemed these revisions insufficient.
It suspended the reclamation work, citing environmental damage concerns resulting from the extensive use of tens of thousands of pillars and large quantities of soil.
Denny Tamaki, the governor of Okinawa, has repeatedly demanded a reduction in the US military presence on the island, the urgent closure of the Futenma base, and the abandonment of the Henoko construction project.
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Tamaki remains steadfast in his demands and has expressed displeasure with the Supreme Court’s decision, stating that it disregards local government autonomy and constitutional rights to self-governance.
The Futenma air station issue has been a source of contention between Okinawa and Tokyo for a long time.
In 1996, the Japanese and American governments agreed to close the Futenma base in response to three US military personnel’s widely publicized rape of an adolescent.
However, nearly three decades of persistent protests and legal disputes have prevented the plan’s implementation.
Both Tokyo and Washington argue that relocating the base within Okinawa, as opposed to relocating it to another location, as many Okinawans demand, is the only viable option.
Following a bilateral security treaty, Okinawa hosts most of the 50,000 American forces stationed in Japan, as approximately 70% of US military facilities are on the island.
In response to China’s growing assertiveness, Japan has bolstered its defenses recently, causing Okinawans to fear they could become embroiled in any potential conflict.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno applauded the Supreme Court’s decision, professing confidence for the complete reversion of the Futenma airfield to Japan, the reduction of US military bases on Okinawa, and promising transparency and communication with the local community.
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