Okinawa Gov. Takeshi Onaga on Monday rescinded an action aimed at blocking the relocation of the Futenma air base within the prefecture, a step crucial to enabling the central government to resume construction work, sources close to the matter said.
Onaga's decision follows his recent defeat in a lawsuit filed by the central government over the plan to move U.S. Marine Corps Futenma Air Station from a crowded residential area in Ginowan to the less populated Henoko coastal area of Nago.
The Supreme Court ruled last Tuesday that Onaga's revocation of approval for land reclamation work was illegal.