Japan Press Weekly

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2017 July 12 - 18 [POLITICS]

Okinawa Pref. Assembly approves Gov.’s decision to sue national gov’t in order to block Henoko project

The Okinawa Prefectural Assembly on July 14 approved a bill to accept the governor’s decision to file a lawsuit against the national government in order to stop the U.S. base construction in Nago’s Henoko district. The Japanese Communist Party and other parties voted for the bill and the Liberal Democratic Party voted against.

The Abe government is pushing forward with offshore work for the Henoko base construction project, which will inevitably involve the destruction of coral reefs. However, the government in March failed to secure Okinawa Governor Onaga Takeshi’s permission to crush seafloor rocks at Henoko after the expiration of the previous approval which had been given by Onaga’s predecessor. Governor Onaga asserts that the ongoing work is illegal.

Following the approval of the bill, the prefectural government will file with the Naha District Court by the end of this month a lawsuit seeking an injunction and a provisional disposition against the illegal construction project in Henoko.

Prior to the vote, JCP assembly member Higa Mizuki used his question time to support the bill. He criticized the Abe government for arbitrarily interpreting relevant laws and rules in order to carry out the new U.S. base construction. Higa stressed, “Given that the national government is conducting the construction work in a way that is totally inappropriate for a nation under the rule of law, the Okinawa Prefectural government should confront the state in the courtroom. The JCP supports the governor’s decision.”

Past related articles:
> Okinawa will sue Abe to protect Henoko reefs from destruction [June 8, 2017]
> Offshore work preliminary to landfill work commences in Henoko [April 26, 2017]