Okinawa Gov. Hirokazu Nakaima will not include a call to kick Futenma air base out of the prefecture at next week's ceremony commemorating the 69th anniversary of the end of the Battle of Okinawa, prefectural officials said Thursday.
The move comes six months after the governor approved a landfill project in Nago's Henoko district needed to build a replacement base for the facility, which angered anti-base activists and a group representing the families of those lost in the battle.
It is also likely to increase tensions between Nakaima, who has indicated he wants to run for a third term this autumn, and his potential challenger, Naha Mayor Takeshi Onaga, who, although opposed to the Henoko relocation plan, is gaining ground among those who once backed Nakaima.