In an escalation of his battle with the central government, Okinawa Gov. Takeshi Onaga suggested Monday he may revoke earlier permission for the destruction of reefs in the course of land reclamation for the replacement base for the Futenma airfield.
Speaking at a news conference in the prefectural capital of Naha, Onaga said he has requested the Okinawa Defense Bureau to suspend "any act that changes the status quo of the seabed" and warned he may revoke the permission unless the bureau stops the work within a week.
Site preparation so far has included dropping huge concrete blocks onto the seabed weighing 15 to 45 tons, which will anchor buoys demarcating the construction zone.