Japan Press Weekly

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2017 June 7 - 13 TOP3 [POLITICS]

Okinawa will sue Abe to protect Henoko reefs from destruction

Okinawa Governor Onaga Takeshi on June 7 called a press conference at the prefectural office and announced that Okinawa will file a lawsuit against the national government to seek the suspension of the ongoing embankment work in Henoko before shore reefs at the site are destroyed for the construction of a U.S. base.

As soon as the governor gains assembly approval, the prefectural government will start procedures to initiate a legal battle with the state authorities. Okinawa will also seek a provisional injunction against the work.

Lacking permission from the Okinawa government to crush the coral reefs, the Okinawa Defense Bureau is continuing bank protection work which is necessary to build the state-of-the-art U.S. military facilities at Henoko in Okinawa’s Nago City.

Onaga told the press that he decided to launch legal action before the rock reef is shattered to pieces. He said, “I have judged that Okinawa needs to take a legal step to stop this action.”

The Okinawa Defense Bureau had received permission from the former Okinawa governor to break up the Henoko reef. However, the permission expired in late March of this year. The current work without prefectural government authorization is, therefore, illegal.

Meanwhile, Inamine Susumu, the mayor of Nago City where the new U.S. base is to be built, expressed his support for the court battle seeking the suspension and the temporary injunction.

At a news conference held after Okinawa’s legal action announcement, Inamine said, “I will firmly support the Okinawa governor,” adding that he will make the best possible use of the mayor’s mandate to work for the benefit of residents.

Past related article:
> Offshore work preliminary to landfill work commences in Henoko[April 26, 2017]