The national government has taken its dispute with Okinawa Prefecture over a plan to relocate the U.S. Marine's Air Station Futenma to a new facility in northern Okinawa back to the courtroom — just months after both parties agreed to a court-mediated settlement in March that urged them to resolve their differences through dialogue. The Abe administration contends that the construction of the new airfield in the Henoko area of Nago is the "only solution" to closing the Futenma base in Ginowan — which has been pending since it was agreed on by Tokyo and Washington in 1996 — and it dismisses Gov. Takeshi Onaga's opposition to the creation of yet another American military facility in Okinawa, which already hosts a bulk of the U.S. military presence in the country.
In pushing for the Henoko construction over the opposition of the prefectural government, the Abe administration has not reflected on the popular will in Okinawa as expressed in recent series of elections — such as the defeat of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's locally elected Cabinet minister by an opponent of the project in the Upper House race in July. In the lawsuit that it filed last month, the government again stated that the continuing stalemate in the Futenma relocation severely hurts Japan's diplomatic and defense interests. It should realize, however, that support of the prefecture's residents and administration are also crucial to the stable operation of U.S. military bases in Okinawa.
The Naha branch of the Fukuoka High Court, which began deliberations on the suit earlier this month, has decided to wrap up the case in the next session and give its ruling in September. If the ruling is appealed by either side, the Supreme Court is expected to hand down a final decision by early next year. But even if the judiciary rules against the prefecture, Onaga — who is driven by the local popular mandate that elected him governor — is reportedly ready to seek other means to resist construction of the new facility in Henoko, so the standoff could continue. The Abe administration should realize this risk and explore ways to resolve the dispute through talks by acknowledging Okinawa's popular sentiment on the issue.