Okinawa Prefecture’s years-long battle to stop the central government building a U.S. base on its soil has come to naught after the Supreme Court rejected an appeal over the last lawsuit on the issue.
The court’s decision dated Jan. 16 ended the legal row over the government project to build a replacement facility off Henoko Point in Nago, Okinawa Prefecture, to take over the functions of the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Ginowan, also in the prefecture.
Of the 14 lawsuits over the project, 10 cases that were finalized went against Okinawa Prefecture, while the remaining four were either settled out of court or withdrawn.
“It is extremely regrettable that the judiciary has thrown out the case without giving any specific grounds,” Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki said Jan. 17. “Sticking to a democratic stance, we will continue to call on the central government to seek a solution through dialogue.”
In 2020, the Defense Ministry’s Okinawa Defense Bureau filed a design change application to solidify the soft seabed off Henoko, but the prefectural government refused to approve it.
In 2022, the land minister canceled the prefecture’s decision after the Defense Ministry applied for a review.
In the latest appeal, the prefectural government sought to nullify the minister’s decision after district and high courts said the argument is not subject to judicial procedures.
The Supreme Court’s first petty bench only said there are no grounds to hear an appeal, such as contravention of a judicial precedent.
It was a unanimous decision by the bench’s five justices.
(This article was written by Takashi Endo and Taro Ono.)
AloJapan.com