Okinawa Gov. Takeshi Onaga said Wednesday he will not retract his decision to block landfill work for the relocation of a U.S. military base, setting the stage for a court battle with the central government.
Onaga refused to accept land minister Keiichi Ishii's "instruction" to retract his revocation of the approval granted by his predecessor for landfill work in connection with a replacement facility for the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma.
"Rescinding the approval was legal and just," Onaga told a news conference. He also criticized the central government's plan to seek a court judgment to empower itself to override the revocation, calling it "extremely unjust."