Okinawa Gov. Takeshi Onaga on Tuesday will officially revoke approval for central government landfill work needed to move U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma further north in the prefecture, a senior prefectural official said Sunday.
Onaga, who was elected governor last November after campaigning to oppose the contentious relocation plan, is scheduled to hold a news conference at 10 a.m. Tuesday at the Okinawa Prefectural Government building after approving a document outlining the nullification, the official said.
Prefectural government officials will then take the document to the Okinawa Defense Bureau, the regional branch of the Defense Ministry in charge of the reclamation work, the official added.
Approval for the landfill work was originally granted by Onaga's predecessor.
Onaga opposes the plan to build replacement facilities for the Futenma base, which is situated in more densely populated Ginowan. It is to be moved north to Henoko, a coastal region of Nago. Its long-delayed transfer is a key part of the broader U.S.-Japan agreement to realign the U.S. military presence in Japan.
Onaga wants the Futenma base moved off Okinawa altogether. The local government and many residents oppose the plan because the prefecture has long hosted the bulk of U.S. forces in Japan, which have been blamed for noise pollution and accidents.
On Sept. 14, the governor said his government would begin procedures to revoke approval for the landfill work.
"It has been recognized that the approval has defects," he said.
Onaga's decision came after both the central and Okinawa governments failed to reach a compromise over the issue during monthlong consultations held through early September.
The central government, which aims to launch full-fledged reclamation work as early as this autumn, is likely to take countermeasures, including legal action, in the wake of Onaga's permit retraction.