Japan Press Weekly

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2012 March 14 - 20 [OKINAWA]

Takae resident ‘obstructs’ US helipads construction: court

The Naha District Court on March 14 backed the central government’s claim and ordered a resident to stop “obstructing” the construction of U.S. military helipads in the Takae district of northern Okinawa.

The lawsuit was filed by the government against two Takae residents who have been joining in a local sit-in protest against the construction of U.S. military facilities.
　
The court dismissed the state’s claim that the second protester had also obstructed the construction work.

The residents’ lawyer Ikemiyagi Norio criticized the ruling as unjust, saying that it fails to recognize that the suit is intended to repress residents’ protests by the use of state power.