Fisheries minister Yoshimasa Hayashi has decided to nullify an order by Okinawa Gov. Takeshi Onaga for the Okinawa Defense Bureau to suspend work on the relocation of U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, sources said Saturday.
The showdown started when Onaga on Monday ordered the defense bureau to cease all work until the end of the month, as the prefectural government wants to survey coral reefs outside the designated work area. Local authorities believe the reefs have been damaged by concrete blocks installed by the bureau as weights to which marker buoys will be attached.
The agriculture, forestry and fisheries minister has the ultimate authority over the issue, as the work was approved last August by Onaga's predecessor, Hirokazu Nakaima, in line with prefectural fishing regulations that are overseen by the ministry.