Nago Mayor Susumu Inamine acknowledges his failure so far to prevent the relocation of U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma to ecologically sensitive land in his city.
But he's not giving up.
Inamine has questioned the effectiveness of the U.S. military force on Okinawa and vowed to use his mayoral authority to block permits for the new base. He has also promised to press his case with the global community and engage environmentalists concerned about the threat the facility would pose to biodiversity in Nago's Henoko area, including to the endangered dugong, a marine mammal similar to the manatee.