In early August, it appeared Okinawa Gov. Takeshi Onaga might use his authority to cancel permission for the central government's landfill work on a U.S. facility in Henoko, where personnel from the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma are supposed to be relocated.

Before Onaga could make a formal announcement, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga declared a one-month halt to the project for discussions.

The pause marked the latest twist in the two-decade standoff between Okinawa, Tokyo and Washington over the Futenma base and what to do with it.