Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya rejected on Friday a request by Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki for a one-month suspension of land reclamation work in the Henoko district of northern Okinawa Prefecture, further deepening tensions over the controversial project to relocate U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma within the prefecture.
Later the same day, the Okinawa Prefectural Government filed a new lawsuit against the central government's temporary nullification of a decision by the prefecture to withdraw its earlier permission for reclamation work in the Henoko district.
The lawsuit is likely to further intensify political tensions between Tokyo and Okinawa, which hosts a large number of the U.S. military bases and units despite strong anti-military sentiment among many local residents.