Okinawa Gov. Takeshi Onaga is considering rejecting the state's plan to transplant corals from waters off a planned U.S. base construction site in the northern part of Okinawa Island to another location, in the latest move to thwart the construction, a prefectural official said Tuesday.
The strategy not to give the green light is a way for Onaga to exercise his authority as governor and block the building of a replacement facility for U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma on reclaimed land in the Henoko coastal area of Nago, the official said.
Onaga is looking to take that step in case he loses a legal battle with the central government in the Supreme Court over the contentious base relocation, the official said. The Naha branch of Fukuoka High Court is set to issue a ruling on Sept. 16.